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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL
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PROCEEDINGS
FITCHBURG HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AND PAPERS RELATING TO THE
HISTORY OF THE TOWN
READ BY SOME OF THE MEMBERS.
VOLUME IV.
5W
fitchbur;g, MASS.:
PUBLISHED BY THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
1908.
OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY.
1908.
President,
FREDERICK F. WOODWARD.
Vice-Presidents,
Charles Fosdick, George A. Hitchcock
Secretary,
Ebenezer Bailey.
Treasurer,
Frederick A. Currier,
Librarian,
James F. D. Garfield.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2013
http://archive.org/details/proceedingsoffitv4fitc
CONTEXTS.
Officers for 1908,
Proceedings,
Separation of Church and State in Massachusetts,
By Ebcnczer Bailey, 18
First Half Century of the C. C. Church in Fitch BURG,
By George A. Hitchcock,
Reminiscences Relating to the Second Meeting-House,
By E. Foster Bailey, 52
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall, By E. Foster Bailey, 65
Rev. John Payson, Fitchburg's First Minister,
By James F. D. Garfield, BO
Early Families of Fitchburg, By Ezra Scollay Stearns, A. M., B7
Early Real Estate Owners in Fitchburg,
By Harrison Bailey, 1 05
General James Reed By James F. D. Garfield, 113
Fitchburg Preparatory to the Revolution,
By Ultcnezer Bailey, 1'_T.
Old Militia Companies, ..... By Henry B. Adams, 13G
A Connecting Link in the Military History of Fitchburg,
By Henry A. Goodrich, 14-6
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days,
By Frederick A. Currier, 154-
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution,
By James F. D. Garfield, 172
An Early Hospital of Fitchburg,
By Ezra Scollay Stearns, A. M., 233
An Early Workingmen's Association of Fitchburg,
By Ebenezer Bailey, 2-4-2
Ashburnham Reservoir Flood, . . By Sullivan W. Huntley, 253
Early History of the City Hall, . . By Ebenezer Bailey. 266
Index 277
PROCEEDINGS.
January 15, 1000.— The annual meeting of the society
was held in the common council room, city hall building,
President Willis in the chair.
The annual reports of the secretary, treasurer and
librarian were read and accepted.
The report of the treasurer showed receipts for the
year of $172.00 and payments of $168.02. Total assets,
$105.20.
The librarian's report showed receipts of eleven bound
volumes, forty-six pamphlets, and other material of a mis-
cellaneous nature during the year.
Officers for the current year were elected as follows:
Clerk : James F. D. Garfield.
Executive Committee : Henry A. Willis, Henry A. Good-
rich, Frederick F. Woodward, Atherton P. Mason and
James F. D. Garfield.
Committee on Nominations (for three years) : Charles
F. Ware.
Voted, that the president and secretary, in behalf of
the society, petition the city government for an appropri-
ation to continue the publication of the old town records.
At a meeting of the executive committee, held imme-
diately following the annual meeting, the following offi-
cers were elected :
President : Henry A. Willis.
Vice-Presidents : Henry A. Goodrich, Frederick F.Wood-
ward.
Treasurer and Librarian : Atherton P. Mason.
February 19, 1000.— The regular monthly meeting of
the society was held in the common council room, Presi-
dent Willis in the chair. Mr. Henry F. Coggshall was
elected a member of the society.
6 Proceedings.
The committee chosen at the annual meeting to peti-
tion the city government in relation to the publication of
the Fitchburg town records, reported that in response to
their petition, the city government had appropriated $
for the purpose of continuing the publication during the
present year.
Mr. Frederick A. Currier read a paper cm the "Old
Stores and Storekeepers of Fitchburg," eovering a period
from the incorporation of the town in 1 704- to the open-
ing of the Fitchburg railroad in 184-5.
March 19, 1900.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Willis pre-
siding. Mr. George A. Hitchcock was elected a member o(
the society.
Prof. E. Adams Hartwell read a paper on the "Pearl
Hill Pot Hole," explaining the theory of its glaeial origin,
and giving in connection therewith an informal, hut very
instructive talk on other pot holes, as found in Fitchburg
and elsewhere.
April 16, 1900. — The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, Vice-President F. F.
Woodward presiding.
The paper of the evening was by Prof. F. Adams Hart-
well, the subject being ''The Stars, their Magnitude and
Distances, their Size and Composition."
May 21, 1900. — The regular monthly meeting was held
in the common council room, Vice-President Goodrich pre-
siding.
Mr. F. A. Currier read his second paper on "Old Stores
and Storekeepers of Fitchburg," covering the period from
1845 to 18G4-.
October 15, 1900.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Willis in the
chair.
Prof. E. Adams Hartwell gave a lecture on "Eclipses,"
with special reference to the eclipse o( the sun witnessed
by him in the month of May previous, at Norfolk, Va.
Proceedings. 7
November 19, 11)00.— The regular monthly meeting
was hold at the common council room, President Willis in
the chair. Mr. Festus C. Currier, Mrs. Adaline Snow and
Miss Lucy Fay were elected members of the society.
A paper was read by Mr. Henry B. Adams, on the
"Old Militia Companies of Fitchburg and Vicinity."
December 17, 1900— The regular monthly meeting
was held at the common council room, President Willis in
the chair. The librarian reported the receipt of a partial
tile of the Boston Daily Journal for 1864.
January 21, 1901.— The annual meeting of the society
was held in the common council room, President Willis in
the chair. Mr. J. Milton Hubbard was elected a member
of the society.
The annual reports of the secretary, treasurer and
librarian were read and accepted.
The treasurer's report showed receipts of $89.80 and
payments of $100.86. Total assets, $222.12.
The report of the librarian showed receipts of one
hundred and forty-four bound volumes, one hundred and
nine pamphlets and other miscellaneous material.
Officers for the current year were elected as follows:
Clerk": James F. D. Garfield.
Executive Committee : Henry A. Willis, Henry A. Good-
rich, Frederick F. Woodward, Atherton P. Mason and
James F. D. Garfield.
Treasurer and Librarian : Atherton P. Mason.
Committee on Nominations (for three years) : I^benezer
Bailey.
The president and secretary were made a committee
to petition the city government for an appropriation to
continue the publication of the old town records.
At a meeting of the executive committee, held imme-
diately following the adjournment of the annual meeting,
the following officers were elected :
President: Henry A. Willis,
Vice-Presidents : Henry A. Goodrich, Frederick F. Wood-
ward.
8 Proceedings.
Feiiruary 18, 1901.— The regular monthly meeting
was held in the common council room, President Willis in
the chair. Several names were proposed for membership,
but no paper was read.
March 18, 1901 —The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, Vice-President Goodrich
in the chair. Elmer A. Onthank and Walter P. Stiles were
elected active members, and Rev. George M. Bodge a cor-
responding member of the society.
The secretary read extracts from a series of letters
written by Rufus C. Torrey during the ten years subse-
quent to his leaving Fitchburg (1836 to 1846), giving
vivid pictures of life in the backwoods settlements of Mis-
sissippi and Alabama.
April 15, 1901. — The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Willis in the
chair. Thomas C. Sheldon was elected to membership.
Mr. Henry B. Adams read a paper on the "Early Ex-
plorers of Boston Harbor."
The secretary read a letter from the Hon. Ezra S.
Stearns of Rindge, giving a record of some of the old-
time stage drivers, residents of Fitchburg.
A committee was appointed to see if measures could
be taken to prevent the destruction of the boulder on
Rollstone hill.
The secretary read a letter from Edgar L. Spafford of
Watervliet, N. Y., giving the genealogy of that branch of
the Spafford family, which at the time of the incorpora-
tion of Fitchburg occupied the old Spafford garrison house
on the easterly side of Pearl hill.
May 20, 1901.— At the regular monthly meeting, held
in the common council room, no paper was read.
October 21, 1901.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Willis in the
chair. Miss Mary Caroline Green of Dorchester and Mrs.
Mary Lowe Dickinson of New York city were elected cor-
responding members of the society.
Mr. Ebenezer Bailey read a paper on the "Separation
of Church and State in Massachusetts."
Proceedings. [\
December 16, 1001.— The regular monthly meeting
was held in the common council room, President Willis in
the chair.
Miss Lucy A. Hay ward, Rev. Arthur W. Littlehcld
and Frederick R. Houghton were elected active members
of the society, and Ellery I. Garfield of Lexington, Mass.,
a corresponding member.
Mr. George A. Hitchcock read a paper, entitled "The
First Half Century of the C. C. Church in Fitchburg."
January 20, 1902.— The annual meeting of the society
was held in the common council room, President Willis in
the chair. Mr. George P. Hitchcock was elected a mem-
ber of the society.
The annual reports of the secretary, treasurer and
librarian were read and accepted.
The report of the treasurer showed receipts for the
year of $66.40, expenses $63. SO, and total cash resources
of $284.84.
The librarian reported accessions for the year of twelve
bound volumes, twenty-three pamphlets, eight manuscripts,
and a variety of other material.
The secretary, in his tenth annual report, said :
"During these ten years, ninety-one meetings have been held,' at
which eighty papers of more or less historical interest — nearly all per-
taining to local affairs, and including one elaborate historical address —
have been prepared and read by one or another of the members.
The society has accumulated, largely by gift, but partly by exchange,
a library of between six hundred and seven hundred bound volumes, be-
sides pamphlets, estimated at from two thousand to three thousand."
The following officers were elected for the current year:
Clerk : Ebenezer Bailey.
Treasurer : Frederick A. Currier.
Librarian : James F. D. Garfield.
Executive Committee: Henry A. Goodrich, Henry A.
Willis, Frederick F. Woodward, James F. D. Garfield,
Ebenezer Bailey.
Committee on Nominations (for three years) : Charles
Fosdick.
The president and secretary were chosen a committee
to petition the city government for an appropriation to
continue the work of copying and printing the old town
records.
10 Proceedings.
A paper prepared by Mr. B. Poster Bailey was read,
entitled "Reminiscences of the Second Meeting House in
Fitchburg."
At a meeting of the executive committee, held suImk-
quent to the annual meeting, the following officers were
elected :
Pre si den t : Henry A . Go od rich .
First Vice-President : Frederick F. Woodward.
Second Vice-President: James F. I). Garfield.
February, 1902.— The regular meeting was omitted
on account of a severe snow storm.
March 17, 1902.— The regular monthly meeting of the
society was held in the common council room, President
Goodrich in the chair. Hon. Ezra S. Stearns and Mrs.
Rosa H. Brown were elected members of the society.
The secretar}' reported that the city council had acted
favorably on the petition of the society for an appropria-
tion to continue the publication of the old town records.
April, 21, 1902. — The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Goodrich in
the chair.
The secretary read a paper, written by Mr. E. Poster
Bailey, entitled "Reminiscences Relating to the Old Town
HalL"
May 19, 1902. — The regular monthly meeting was held
in the common council room, President Goodrich in the
chair.
Mr. Willis, of the committee on the preservation of the
Rollstone boulder, reported that he was authorized to
state that the boulder would be moved to a location which
would be satisfactory to the society and to the owners,
without expense to the society, and it was voted that
such action would be approved by the society.
President Goodrich read an interesting and valuable
paper on "Church Organs and Some of the Early Build-
ers in New England."
Proceedings. \ \
October 20, 1902.— The regular monthly meeting of
the society was held in the common council room, I 'resi-
dent Goodrich presiding. The librarian reported among
other gifts, the presentation by Dr. Jabez Fisher, of the
records of the Fitchburg Farmers' Club from 1856 to 1871.
An interesting paper was presented by Mr. F. C. Cur-
rier, entitled ''Recollections and Observations of the Nine-
teenth Century."
November, 17, 1902.— The regular monthly meeting
of the society was held in the common council room, ['res-
ident Goodrich presiding. Rev. James DeWolfe Perry and
Mr. Marcus A. Coolidge were elected members of the
society.
The paper of the evening was a continuation of Mr.
F. C. Currier's reminiscences and observations of the nine-
teenth century, with particular reference to religious and
educational matters.
December 15, 1902.— The regular monthly meeting
was held in the common council room, President Good-
rich presiding. Mr. C. A. Batchelder was elected a mem-
ber of the society.
The paper of the evening was read by the secretary.
It was a short historical sketch of the Fitchburg Work-
ingman's Association, which was organized in 1S44-, and
continued in existence until the following May. The orig-
inal record book of the association was presented to the
society by Mr. E. Foster Bailey, its last secretary, and
the only known surviving member.
January 19, 1903. — The annual meeting of the society
was held in the common council room, Vice-President
Woodward presiding. The annual reports of the secre-
tary, treasurer and librarian were read and accepted. The
report of the treasurer showed receipts for the year of
$224.79, and disbursements of $207. SO. The report o\
the librarian showed the receipt during the year ot seventy-
four bound volumes and fifty-seven pamphlets. The total
collections of the society to date were more than seven
12 Proceedings.
hundred bound volumes, nearly seventeen hundred pam-
phlets, twenty-three maps, more than three hundred man-
uscripts, and six albums of mounted photographs.
The following officers were elected:
Clerk : Ebenezer Bailey.
Treasurer: Frederick A. Currier.
Librarian: James F. D. Garfield.
Executive Committee: Henry A. Goodrich, Frederick
F. Woodward, Henry A. Willis, James F. I). Garfield,
Ebenezer Bailey.
Committee on Nominations (for three years) : Charles
E. Ware.
The librarian read an interesting letter from Mrs.
Sara T. L. Robinson, widow of Dr. Charles Robinson,
former governor of Kansas.
Voted to authorize the secretary to petition the city
council to continue the publication of the old records of
the town of Fitchburg.
A meeting of the executive committee was held, fol-
lowing the annual meeting, and the following officers were
elected :
President: Henry A. Goodrich.
First Vice-President : Frederick F. Woodward.
Second Vice-President: James F. D. Garfield.
February 16, 1903.— The regular monthly meeting
was held in the common council room, President Good-
rich presiding.
Harrison Bailey, Esq., read a paper, entitled " Early
Real Estate Owners in Fitchburg." He described the large
holdings of real estate in Fitchburg, held successively by
Thomas Fitch, Andrew Oliver and Elias Haskell. He gave
a detailed description of some eight hundred and fifty
acres of said land, covering what is now a part of the
thickly settled portion of the city, on the north side of
the river.
March 1G, 1903.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Goodrich pre-
siding.
Proceedings. \ .;
The paper of the evening was written by Mr. B. Fos-
ter Bailey. It was a sketch of Ebenezer Whittemore, one
of the unique characters of Fitchburg who lived more
than sixty years ago.
October 19, 1903.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Goodrich pre-
siding. The secretary read a paper, entitled " Fitchburg
Preparatory to the Revolution."
January 18, 1901.— The annual meeting of the society
was held in the common council room, President Goodrich
in the chair. Airs. Carolyn B. Tufts was eleeted a member
of the society.
The annual report of the secretary was read and
accepted.
The annual report of the treasurer showed receipts of
$1.55.92 and disbursements of $152. 9cS, during the year.
The librarian's report showed that the society had
received during the year thirty-nine bound volumes, fifty-
one pamphlets and seven manuscripts.
The following officers were eleeted:
Clerk : Ebenezer Bailey.
Treasurer : Frederick A. Currier.
Librarian : James F. D. Garfield.
Executive Committee : Henry A. Goodrich, Frederick F.
Woodward, James F. D. Garfield, Henry A: Willis, Eben-
ezer Bailey.
Committee on Nominations (for three }'ears) : Harrison
Bailey.
Voted, that the president and secretary be instructed
to petition the city government to complete the publica-
tion of the sixth volume of the old town reeords.
At a subsequent meeting of the executive committee
the following officers were elected :
President : Henry A. Goodrich.
First Vice-President: Frederick F. Woodward.
Second Vice-President: James P. D. Garfield.
March 21, 1904.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Goodrich in
the chair.
Proceedings. \ 5
The annual report pf the secretary was read and
accepted.
The annual report of the treasurer, showing a balance
on hand of $168.09, was read and accepted.
The annual report of the librarian was read and ac-
cepted, showing eight hundred and fifty bound volumes,
and from sixteen hundred to eighteen hundred pamphlets
in the possession of the society.
The following officers were elected by ballot :
Clerk : Ebenezer Bailey.
Treasurer : Frederick A. Currier.
Librarian: James F. D. Garfield.
Executive Committee : Henry A. Goodrich, Frederick F.
Woodward, James F. D. Garfield, Henry A. Willis, Eben-
ezer Bailey.
Committee on Nominations (for three years): Charles
Fosdick.
Voted, that the president and secretary be authorized
to petition the city government to publish another volume
of the old town records.
At a subsequent meeting of the executive committee,
the following officers were elected :
President : Henry A. Goodrich.
First Vice-President : Frederick F. Woodward.
Second Vice-President : Charles Fosdick.
February 20, 1905.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in Grand Army hall, on invitation of Post 19, G. A. R.
Dr. Joseph W. Palmer and Miss Theresa N. Garfield were
elected members of the society.
An interesting paper was read on "The Assassination
of Abraham Lincoln," by Mr. Wesley R. Batchelder of
Boston, who was an e3re-witness of the event.
March 20, 1905.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Goodrich pre-
siding.
Mr. Henry A. Willis reviewed and read extracts from
a printed copy of an oration delivered in Fitchbnrg, July
4, 1803, in the old church on the common, by William
Cunningham, Jr., who then resided on South street, on
the " Burnap place."
16 Proceedings.
May 15, 1905.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Goodrich pre-
siding'.
Rev. F. W. Martini read a paper on the "Impressions
of a Tourist," the result of a recent visit to that section
of country between the Mississippi river and the Rocky
mountains.
October 16, 1905.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the common council room, President Goodrich pre-
siding.
A paper was read by Hon. Henry P. Rockwell, on
"Fitchburg Druggists, Past and Present."
December 18, 1905.— The regular monthly meeting
was held in the common council room, President Goodrich
presiding.
An informal talk, introduced by a short paper by the
librarian, was held uporj the subject of early cotton and
woolen manufacturing in Fitchburg. It was participated
in by most of the members present.
January 15, 1906.— The annual meeting of the society
was held in the common council room, President Goodrich
presiding.
The annual report of the secretary was read and
accepted.
The annual report of the treasurer, showing a balance
on hand of $224.61, was read and accepted.
The annual report of the librarian, showing receipt
during the year of forty-five bound volumes, three hun-
dred and thirty-three pamphlets, besides other miscellane-
ous gifts, was read and accepted.
The following officers were elected :
Clerk : Ebenezer Baile}7.
Librarian : James F. D. Garfield.
Treasurer : Frederick A. Currier.
Executive Committee : Henry A. Goodrich, Henry A.
Willis, James F. I). Garfield, Frederick P. Woodward.
Charles Fosdiek.
Proceedings, \ 7
Charles E. Ware was elected a member of the nomi-
nating committee lor three years.
An interesting paper on " Photography " was read by
Mr. J. C. Moulton, who has been in that business in Pitch-
burg since 1848.
A meeting of the executive committee was held, at
which the following officers were chosen:
President : Henry A. Goodrich.
First Vice-President: Frederick F. Woodward.
Second Vice-President : Charles Foseliek.
April 16, 1906.— The regular monthly meeting of the
society was held in the office of the mayor, President
Goodrich presiding. »
A paper was read by Mr. George A. Hitchcock, enti-
tled "A Colonial Patriot, Ancestor of an old Fitchburg
Family." This colonial patriot was Robert Kinsman, who
settled in Ipswich in 163T, and was one of the leading
protestants in that town against the tyranny of Sir Wil-
liam Andros, for which he was lined and imprisoned. Jer-
emiah Kinsman, his descendant in the third generation,
removed to Fitchburg at the close of the Revolution, and
was the ancestor of many worthy citizens of that town
and city.
May 21, 1906.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the assembly room of the High School building.
The Hon. George J. Burns of Aver delivered an ad-
dress on the history and advantages of the Hoosae Tun-
nel, an undertaking which owed its inception and comple-
tion largely to the efforts and enthusiasm of the Hon.
Alvah Crocker of Fitchburg.
October 15, 1906.— The regular monthly meeting was
held in the room of the board of aldermen, city hall build-
ing, President Goodrich presiding.
The evening was taken up with political and educa-
tional reminiscences of a half century ago.
November 19, 1906— The regular monthly meeting
was held in the common council room, President Good-
1 8 Proceedings.
rich in the chair. Rev. F. \V. Martini was elected a mem-
ber of the society.
A pamphlet, entitled "Charles Robinson and the Kan-
sas Epoch," which had been received from the widow of
Ex-Gov. Robinson of Lawrence, Kansas, was read by the
secretary.
THE SEPARATION OP CHURCH AND STATE
IN MASSACHUSETTS.
•1 paper read at a meeting of the Society, October 21, 1901
BY EBENEZER BAILEY.
The best and truest history is not the relation of
wars, the enumeration of battles and sieges, the acts of
kings and emperors. It is the study of the social lite of
a people, an analysis of causes, as well as a statement of
effects. As a modifier of social life, and as a moving force
in the history of nations, religion has been of vast impor-
tance, and nowhere has it been more powerful and so
interlocked with all the other state building forces as in
the history of Massachusetts during the first two centu-
ries of its political life.
It was a desire to found a state where they could
carry out ideas of a biblical government and a righteous
community, which led the Puritans to Massachusetts Bay.
They did not seek religious freedom, but they did seek to
found a religious state. At the time of their arrival there
were various settlers along the coast whose religious
standards were varied, and, in some cases, were o( very
little account. These people were in a few months called
to a common meeting place by the Puritan authorities,
who proceeded to make known to them their future policy
and method of government. A paper containing certain
articles was given them to sign, "the purport of which
was that the tenor of God's word was to be the basis
upon which the law, civil and ecclesiastical, was to be
administered." Banishment was the penalty for not sign-
ing. Four j'ears later ii was decider ih&i "-;>:, men sh *
admitted to the freedom of this body politic, but such as
are members of some of the churches within the limits ot
20
The Separation of Church and State.
the same." It is not surprising that Mr. William Black-
stone, who had settled within the limits of Boston, should
say, "I came from England because I did not like the
Lords Bishops, but I can't join with von because I would
not be under the Lords Brethren, "-and he moved into the
wilderness.
It was not long before many of the new settlers found
that they could not endure the autocratic government of
the magistrates, and there was a large emigration west-
ward to the Connecticut. All but eleven families left Cam-
bridge for Hartford between 1885 and l,s.">7. There was
also a migration from Roxbury, under the leadership of
William Pynchon, to Springfield. This Pynchon wrote a
book on the atonement, which was publicly burned in the
market place in Boston.
Not only did the Puritan leaders believe in this auto-
cratic kind of government on its religious side, but in a
purely political way they were far from believing in
democracy. Said John Cotton, " Democracy is no lit gov-
ernment, either for State or for Commonwealth; and John
Winthrop wrote, "The best part i> always the least, and
<T thai part the wiser is always the Ir.sKrr." Aimllni
thing was said by Winthrop, which probably relLeud the
sentiments of the magistrates and ministers. "The safety
of the Commonwealth is the supreme law, and if, in the
interests of that safety it should be found necessary to
renounce the authority of Parliament, the colonists would
be justified in doing so." He meant that government by
Puritan church members was necessary to the safety of
the Commonwealth.
Here, then, on Massachusetts soil, was a government
set up, which not only recognized a state church, hut the
government was the church, and the ride of law and the
standard of conduct was the Bible. The magistrates and
the ministers were to enforce the word of God, and if no
one had ever challenged their infallibility as to its inter-
pretation, their ideal might have been realized without a
struggle, but there grew up among the people and even
among the ministers, a tendency to controversy on points
of theology, and a habit of private interpretation ot the
Scriptures. This Wcis really the one weakness of 1 Totes-
The Separation of Church and Stale. 2 1
tantism as against Catholicism, and it was especially the
weakness of Congregationalism. The Puritan leaders felt
it to be a necessity to strengthen their weakest point.
The controversy with Anne Hutchinson, who main-
tained that most of the ministers and magistrates were
under a covenant of works, while she and her followers
were under a covenant of faith, brought the authorities
to the point of persecution. The points around which the
conflict raged were such line theological ones as to seem
almost ludicrous to us. Winthrop said that Mrs. Hutch-
inson "brought into New England two dangerous error-.
first that the person of the Holy Ghost dwells in a justi-
fied person; and, second that no sanctifieation can help
to evidence to us our justification." At any rate she eon-
verted all the women and most of the men of the Boston
church, to the great disgust of its pastor. The magis-
trates and the ministers succeeded in having her east out
of the church and banished from the colony.
Of the persecutions of the Quakers and of Roger Wil-
liams it need only be said that they were the logical re-
sult of the theor\' of government which had been set up.
That is, a government in which heresy was destructive of
authority. It was believed that if men of weak minds
were allowed to interpret the Bible in a different way from
the magistrates, they were overturning the foundations of
government, which was founded on the correct interpre-
tation of the word of God ; and the safety of the govern-
ment required their immediate suppression. The success of
their little Commonwealth really required many of the
harsh measures which were used.
The theory that we are right and everybody else is
wrong is not, however, a practical working theory for
public or private life. It may do to hold it, but it is dis-
astrous to live up to it. Our Puritan ancestors were be-
fore long obliged to relax their restrictions on citizenship.
Given an intelligent, self-reliant people, such as were the
Puritans, men who were familiar with the stimulating lit-
erature of the English Bible, so favorable to independent
thought, and no man-made system of theology could long
hold them all in its bonds. So it happened that there were
90
The Separation of Church and State.
in a generation or two many who did not wish to nib-
seribe to all the tenets of the state church. At one time
nearly four-fifths of the adult males in Massachusetts were
disfranchised because they could not participate in the
Lord's Supper. Why should men of good character and
religious principle be denied political rights? It could not
be allowed that men should vote who were not church
members, but this must either be done or the doors to
church membership must be thrown more widely open.
They chose the latter alternative, and allowed all persons
of good moral character, who had been baptized in in-
fancy; to be considered members of the church, although
they were not allowed to participate in the Lord's Supper.
This was called the "Halfway Covenant," and did inn
come about without great opposition. With the accession
of William III. to the English throne, and a new charter,
political privileges were still further enlarged— no qualifi-
cation of church membership being required for voting.
A property qualification was substituted.
The "Halfway Covenant," the influence of the French
and Indian wars, the increasing interest in trade and
commerce, and a natural reaction from the intense spirit.
ual exaltation of earlier times, brought about a general
indifference and dullness of religious feeling in the churches.
It was felt that a great spiritual awakening was needed ;
and, indeed, a great revival of religion occurred, spreading
throughout the state about the year 1735. This was
largely due to the influence and preaching of the great
Jonathan Edwards, who laid the foundation of the Cal-
vinistic theology of New England. About five years later
the great Methodist preacher of England, George White-
field, came to New England. He preached to crowds in
Boston, Worcester and other towns. Unlike Wesley, he
believed in Calvinism, and he had the sympathy of the
New England churches. The following is an extract from
his diary at the time of his visit to Worcester, in company
with Gov. Belcher, in 1740:
"Wednesday, Oct. 15.— Perceived the Governor to be more affection-
ate than ever. After morning prayer he took me by myself, kissed me,
wept, and exhorted me to go on stirring up the ministers; 'tor,' said
The Separation of Church and State.
he, 'reformation must begin at the house of God.' As we were going
to meeting, says he, 'Mr. Whitefield, do not spare me any more than
the ministers, no, not the chief of them.' I preached in the open air to
some thousands. The word fell with weight, indeed, it earned all be-
fore it. After sermon the Governor said to me, 'I pray Cod I mav ap-
ply what has been said to my own heart. Pray, Mr. Whitelield, that I
may hunger and thirst after righteousness.' Dinner being ended, with
tears in his eyes, he kissed and took leave of me. Oh that we may
meet in heaven! I have observed that I have had greater power than
ordinary whenever the Governor has been at public worship. A sign, I
hope, that the Most High intends effectively to bring him home and
place him at his right hand. ****** {'reached at
Leicester in the afternoon, with some, though not so much power as in
the morning."
This great religious awakening in New England, while
it stirred up and strengthened the orthodox in the
churches, was the cause of a stricter line being drawn
between the two theological parties, the Calvinists and
the Arminians. Harvard college was becoming Arminian,
while Yale was the stronghold of Calvinism, and these
revivals of religion strengthened both parties. The forces
were at work for a dissolution of church and state.
Political events were soon forcing the colonies into
the Revolution, and theology was pushed for awhile to
the background. At this thne the majority in most of
the churches and of the parishes were Calvinistic. In 1785
a portion of the church in Worcester wished to settle the
Rev. Aaron Bancroft, who held Arminian or Unitarian
views, but the parish refused. A new church and society
was formed which settled Mr. Bancroft, but there were
but two ministers in the county whom it was deemed
safe to invite to the ordination, the Rev. Timothy Har-
rington of Lancaster, and Rev. Zabdiel Adams of Lunen-
burg.
It was about this time that the Rev. Thomas Goss
of Bolton had the misfortune to become unsatisfactory to
a majority of his church, and they proceeded to dismiss
him without a council. This was not to the liking o\ the
other ministers, as it was an unusual proceeding, and they
called upon their churches to withhold fellowship from the
Bolton church. The members of that church determined
to find out whether their excommunication was effectual,
24
The Separation of Church and State.
and six of them went to Sterling oil a certain Sunday
and presented themselves at communion. Thereupon the
pastor, Rev. John Mellen, refused to go on with the com-
munion service unless they withdrew; hut the church
voted that the brethren should remain. The pastor then
exerted what was called the right of "eldership," or veto.
He annulled the vote of the church and refused to go on
with the communion. This veto power was often exerted
by the ministers; in some cases at an even later date.
There was a Presbyterian church organized in Oak-
ham as early as 17G7. It is said that at the time of its
organization much objection was made to the character
and habits of most of the proposed members. Things
were at a standstill, till a Scotchman exclaimed, "Weel, it
the Laard wants a church in Oakham, he must take them
such as they be." The church lived, though with diffi-
culty, for sixteen years. In the Orthodox church of that
town there arose a controversy as to whether they would
settle a pastor who would not baptize the children of
those who were not members of the church. The same
question troubled other churches.
But while throughout the closing years of the eight-
eenth century most of the ministers and church members
continued to hold to the theology of Jonathan Edwards,
Unitarianism gained ground among the people. There
were also many little societies of Baptists, Methodists
and Universalists.
When the constitution of Massachusetts was adopted
in 1780, it provided that towns should make suitable
provision at their own expense for the public worship o(
God, and the support and maintenance of public Protes-
tant teachers of piet\r, religion and morality, in all cases
where such provision shall not be made voluntarily. But
the constitution also provided that if any person paid his
money to the support of public worship, he might have
his money applied k4to the support of the public teacher
or teachers of his own religion, sect or denomination."
Therefore it was the custom for Baptists or Metho-
dists to give notice to the town authorities that they were
regular attendants at one of such churches or societies.
The Separation of Church and State. 2fi
and that they desired their ministerial tax set off to thru
society; and such requests grew more and more frequent
every year.*
The town parishes were still strong, but their founda-
tions were Crumbling; for not only were they being weak-
ened by the inroads of these new religious societies, which
would once have been summarily suppressed, but there-
was a general tendency to dissolution. There were three
parties in the town parishes. First, the Calvinists, who
were the supporters of the theology of Jonathan Edwards.
Second, the Arminians, or Unitarians, who held different
doctrines as to regeneration and the Trinity. Third, those
who cared nothing for theology and little for religion, but
who were obliged to pay their ministerial tax. The ma-
jority of the members of the church in most places were
Calvinists.
Such was the state of affairs at the beginning of the
nineteenth century with reference to Massachusetts town
parishes. The ministers were, in general, striving to
strengthen the church creeds and covenants, and were
preaching good sound Calvinistic doctrine. Under the cir-
cumstances it is not strange that in so man}' of the towns
a majority of the voters did not like the preaching of such
strong religious doctrine; or, if the preaching was not of
a sound, orthodox nature, a majority of the church mem-
bers were dissatisfied. So it came to pass that one after
another the churches and parishes divided. Usually a ma-
jority of the church went off and formed a new society.
*As a sample of the notification given to the town authorities, we
insert the following:
AsiinuKMiAM November the 21d 1796
We the Subscribers do hereby Certify to all inquirers that Samuel
Gibson of Fitchburg hath been a member of the Baptist Church in Ash-
burnham upwards of Twelve years and that he hath contributed yearly
to the Support of the Publiek Teachers ol* our Denomination
Oliver Stone
Willard Lane
FiTcmuKG December 17th 1799
Heed of Ebenr Thurston Town Treasurer ten Dollars ,\: seventy-five
cents in full of my minister Tax for the years liDG & 1T'.»7
Samuel Gibson
2G The Separation of Church and State.
This was going on through the first quarter of the cen-
tury. The election of Rev. Henry Ware as Hollia I'roi.s
sor of Divinity at Harvard college in 1805, which was
regarded as a victory for the Unitarians, precipitated this
secession movement.
Legal questions arose where these divisions occurred,
as to the ownership of property which had been given to
the church, and also as to the church records. The point
at issue was, whether the remaining or the seceding body
was the church, in cases where the latter was a majority
of the members.
The case of Baker et al vs. Pales, (Town of Dedham),
was argued before the supreme court at its October term,
1820. Daniel Webster was counsel for the church. Bui
the court decided against him. The title in the Massa-
chusetts Reports reads as follows:
"Where a majority of the members of a Congregational church sep-
arate from the majority of the parish, the members who remain,
although a minority, constitute the church in such parish, and retain
the rights and property belonging thereto."
" Probably," said the court, "there was at first [that is, in the very
early history of the New England churches,] no very familiar distinction
between the church and the whole assembly of Christians in the town.
We have no evidence that the inhabitants were divided into two bodies,
ot church, and society or parish, keeping separate records nnd bavin;:
separate interests, but if the fact be otherwise than is supposed, lino-
is no doubt that most of the inhabitants of the town were church
members at that time. * * * * * It is not till 1641 that we find
any legislative recognition of the right and power of churches to elect
ministers. Before that period, without doubt, the whole assembly were
considered the church, or so great a portion of it, that no necessity ot
any regulation could exist. Hut in that year the right to gather
churches under certain restrictions was established, and the power ot
electing church officers, comprehending without doubt ministers, was
vested in the church. Mow the ministers before that time were sup-
ported does not appear, but it is probable by voluntary contribution,
for it does not appear that any legal obligation was created before the
year 1G52.
"In 1658 it was provided that no person should preach publicly
and constantly to any company of people, whether in church, society,
or not, where two organic churches, council of state or general court,
shall declare their dissatisfaction, either in reference to doctrine or prac-
tice, and in case of ordination of any teaching elder, timely notice there-
of was to be given to three or four of the neighboring organic churches,
for their approbation. This, probably, was the origin of councils.
The Separation of Church and State.
"An act was passed by the Legislature about 1670, vestin-
appointment of ministers in the inhabitant* of the town By this
the power of the churches, as a distinct body, to choose the m
seems to have been entirely taken away. Hut another statu;.
passed not long after, practically annulling this, giving the church
right to elect, but the parish must concur."
But the court goes on to say:
"That the parish have the constitutional right here contended for
cannot be questioned by those who will peruse the clause of the third
article of the Declaration of Rights, upon which the claim is (inserted
It is there provided 'that the several towns, parishes, precincts ami
other bodies, politic or religious societies, shall at all times have the
exclusive right of electing their public teachers, and of contracting with
them for their support and maintenance. All pre-existing laws or usages
must bow before the fundamental expression of the public will, and
however convenient or useful it might be to continue the old form of
electing or settling a minister, whenever a parish determines to ass-rt
its constitutional authoritv there is n
o power in the state to oppose
their claim.' "
As regards the vital question, whether a seceding body
could still be the original church, the court said:
"But as to all civil purposes the secession of a whole church from
the parish would be an extinction of the church, and it is competent
to the members of the parish to institute a new church, or to engraft
one upon the old stock, if any of it should remain, and this new church
would succeed to all the rights of the old in the relation to the parish
No particular number is necessary to constitute a church. * * * * . •
The only circumstance, therefore, which gives a church any legal char-
acter is its connection with some regularly constituted society, and
those who withdraw from the society cease to be members of that par-
ticular church, and the remaining members continue to be the identical
church,"
A passage from the history of the Shepard Congrega-
tional .church of Cambridge, of which the Rev. Dr. Mc-
Kenzie is now pastor, shows the result in one case of this
decision. It seems that this church was founded and built
up by the Rev. Thomas Shepard, after the exodus from
Cambridge, under the leadership of Rev. Mr. Hooker, of
so many of the people to Hartford, Conn. In course of
time, as in so many other churches, a diversity of opinion
grew up which led finally to a separation, and almost
the entire church withdrew in 1830. In their hands was
a large amount of personal property, which consisted o\
a valuable communion service, purchased by church funds
28 The Separation of Church mid State.
or by the gift of individual friends, and also a fund of
about $4000, which had been raised by contributions .'it
the communion. Under the decision of the court the old
society claimed and obtained this plate and the money.
While smarting under what seemed to them a great injus-
tice, chance threw in their way a manuscript autobiogra-
phy of the reverend and esteemed Thomas Shcpard, their
first minister. Immediately a plan was formed to obtain
a communion service by the publication and sale of this
valuable manuscript, and the plan was crowned with suc-
cess. The Rev. Nehemiah Adams, pastor of the church at
this time, wrote the preface or "Advertisement," as it is
called. In it he says :
"It requires no effort of the imagination to conceive of the feelings
of Thomas Shepard were he permitted to see how that being dead, lie
yet spake to us. We were therefore consoled in a measure for the ^p'.il
ing of our goods, knowing that we are surrounded by such great wit-
nesses, and in the belief that an exception, filed by him at the Great
Tribunal to the treatment of his and other churches, will come up for
a hearing at the great and final day."
The Rev. Mr. Shepard 's autobiography is an exceed-
ingly interesting and valuable little book. The sincerity
and plain speaking of the writer impresses itself deeply
on the reader, and it throws much light on the social and
religious condition of the times, both in Old England and
New England. Especially remarkable is his implicit belief
in the watchful care of a Divine Providence, making him
to see in every event of his life the hand of God, bestow-
ing upon him love and favor or just rebuke and punish-
ment. He writes as follows of Henry Dunster, the first
president of Harvard college: "A man pious, painfull and
fit to teach and very fit to lay the foundations of the
domesticall affairs of the Colledge ; whom God has much
honored and blessed." This is interesting in view of the
fact that Mr. Dunster was soon after dismissed from
office on account of his religious opinions.
The history of the church in Pitch burg during this
period of controversy between Calvinism and Unitarian-
ism was of considerable importance, lor it was among
the first to go through with what became the common
experience, and its proceedings, which took place before
The Separation of Church and State.
any decision of the court, were the occasion of brill]
into prominence differences of feeling and of principle
which proved to be irreconcilable, and they also firmly
established the rules and methods of ecclesiastical pro
ure. The Rev. Alfred Emerson spoke of this contest be-
tween the church and the parish as the Gettysburg ol
Congregationalism, and an eminent clergyman of the
time characterized it as "the great crisis in the history of
the Congregational churches, beyond anything since they
were planted on these shores." The various councils were
participated in by churches beyond the borders of Pitch-
burg, and its interest and effects were certainly fell
throughout the state.
There were no articles of faith in the first church in
Fitchburg, and the half-way covenant was in use for
membership, and even this was very loosely administered,
so that it was ver}' easy for any one of good character
to obtain full church membership. At the close of the
ministry of the Rev. Mr. Payson, the theological tenets
and spirituality of many of those whose names were on
the church rolls were vague and weak. The long contro-
versy over the' location of the new church building was
going on while the health of the pastor was failing, and
they were without a pastor for two years previous to
the completion of the new meeting house. Under these
circumstances it is likely that the spiritual condition of
the church was at a very low ebb.
Two ministers who were invited to succeed Rev. Mr.
Payson declined, and the Rev. Mr. Noyes, whom the
church voted to "call," was not acceptable to the town.
Then it was that the Rev. Samuel Worcester, who was
proposed by the town by a vote of 4-3 to 24, was ac-
cepted by the church, and he was ordained in September,
1797, eight months after the dedication of the new church
building. The new minister was a faithful, earnest Cal-
vinist, and one of his first acts was to secure the adop-
tion of articles of faith and a new covenant, by the church ;
but it was provided that these new articles of faith should
not apply to those already members of the church. 'I his
action was soon followed bv a revival ot religion.
ao
The Separation of Church and State,
This revival increased the zeal and activity, as well as
the number, of the members of the church. They folic
the leadership of their minister; they wished to retain
him. The parish, (or town,) however, was not satisfied,
and wished him to go. In 1801 he was willing to leave,
but claimed the right (with the church) of appointing the
council. The town claimed a right to share in the ap-
pointment of that body. Mutual and ex parte councils
were called, all resulting in a recommendation that Mr.
Worcester remain. Finally the town voted him dismissed,
and the doors of the church were closed, to be opened
only by order of the selectmen. This did not settle t la-
matter, for the church claimed that he was not properly
dismissed, and Mr. Worcester received his salary until he
was regularly dismissed by a mutual council in June, 1802.
Much bitter and lasting personal feeling had been en-
gendered by the events of the last two years, and it was
not to be allayed. The friends of Mr. Worcester were
called Hopkinsians, and they constituted a large majority
of the church. The number of voters in the town was
one hundred and thirty-one, of whom fifty-seven were
Ilopkinsian, but they were outnumbered by the other
party and they 'determined to withdraw. In March, IHO-1,
liny protested to the town against further taxation I'm
religious purposes. In the same month a committee of the
town made a report recommending the settlement of Rev.
Rlisha Clapp, but proposing that if after settlement there
should be a wish to dismiss him, it should require the
votes of two-thirds of the voters; but, after four years, it
should only require a majority. "To prevent misunder-
standing the church shall not be regarded as in any man-
ner distinct from the town."
The seceding members regarded themselves as the First
Church, and apparently maintained that contention for
nine years, or until they reunited with the First Parish.
In 1S05 they succeeded in obtaining an act of incorpora-
tion which specifically mentioned them as "the church
lately under the care of the Rev. Samuel Worcester." This
act was not obtained without opposition, and a written
protest from the town, November 5, 1804, in which it was
REV. SAMUEL WORCESTER.
The Separation of Church and State. .;1
stated that the valuation of those who applied for tin-
act was $1579, while the valuation of those- who remained
was $4-203. Later the town seems to have consented to
the incorporation. The act reads as follows'
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
In the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five
An Act to incorporate a number of the inhabitants in mm.
TOWN OF FlTCHBURG, IN THE COUNTY OF WORCESTER, IXTO A RELI-
GIOUS SOCIETY BY THE NAME OF THE CaLVJNISTIC CONGREGATI
Society of Fitchburg.
Whereas, The Congregational Church in Fitchburg, lately under ibe
pastoral care of the Rev. Samuel Worcester, now under that of the Rev.
Titus T. Barton, together with those who meet with said church lor
the worship of God have petitioned this Court to be incorporated into
a distinct religious society for the reasons expressed in their petit ion.
and it appearing reasonable to this Court that the prayer thereof lie
granted.
Section 1. Be it therefore enacted by the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the
same that the church aforesaid and such inhabitants of Hie Town ■»!
Fitchburg as meet with them lor the worship ol God, with lllril p. .11-,
and estates, be and hereby are incorporated into a Society by Lite name
of the Calvinistic Congregational Society in Fitchburg, with all the
powers, privileges and immunities which other religious Societies in this
Commonwealth are entitled to by law, they paying the taxes that have
already been assessed upon them for the support of public worship.
Section 2. Be it further enacted that any of the inhabitants of
the Town of Fitchburg who may desire to join said society shall have
full liberty thus to do at any time previous to the first day of January,
one thousand eight hundred and six, provided they signify in writing
under their hand, to the clerk of said society, their wish and determi-
nation of being considered as members of said society and they shall
accordingly be recorded as such by the clerk of the said society, and
any member of the said society shall have the right to leave the same
at any time before the first day of January one thousand eight hundred
and six by leaving a written determination with the clerk ot said
society, whose duty it shall be to record the same, and such member
shall thence afterward be considered a member of the society to which
he originally belonged.
Section 3. Be it further enacted that if any person who may here-
after settle within the limits of said Town shall be desirous to join the
society aforesaid he shall have full liberty to do it at any time within
twelve months from his settlement in the Town by signifying his deter-
mination of the same in the manner pointed out in the second section
of this act.
32
The Separation of Church an, I Stair.
SECTION 4. He it further enacted that all young ;.
limits of* the Town aforesaid when they Income twenty U
shall have full liberty at any time within twelve inonthi alter in-
come twenty-one years of age to join with their pulls and cither
of the said societies by signifying their determination in writing I i
clerk of the society they may desire to join.
SECTION 5. Be it further enacted that Joseph Pox, Ksi|uin-. or
other justice of the peace in the county of Worcester be and he i-.
by authorized to issue his Warrant directed to some member ol tl,.
Calvinistic Congregational Society requesting him to warn the memliers
of the said society qualified to vote in parish affairs to assemble at
some convenient and suitable time and place as shall be expressed n,
said warrant, to choose such officers as parishes are by law required to
choose in the month of March or April annually, and to transact all
other matters and things necessary to the well being of the said So
In the House of Representatives, June 13th, 1805. This Hill having
had three several readings passed to be enacted.
Timothy Rig BLOW, Speaker
In Senate, June 14th, lS0f>. This Hill having had two several read-
ings passed to be enacted.
II G. Oris, President
June 14th, 1805.
By the Governor approved.
I* A i.i:n Si i'< iNt;
A t rue copy : At test
John Avoky, Secretary.
This practically dissolved the relations between church
and state, so far as Fitchburg was concerned, for those
who refused to identify themselves with the Calvinistic
Society met August 26, 1805, organized under the name
of the First Parish, chose parish ollicers and began a
parish book of records. From that time parish affairs
were not considered in town meeting. For nine years
these two societies were in existence, when they again
united, mainly through the influence of Rev. William Ras-
com, the pastor of the First Parish, or Unitarian Society.
The act incorporating the Calvinistic Congregational So-
ciety of Fitchburg was repealed by an act of the Legisla-
ture February 3, 1814, and the said Society was joined
with the First Parish. This state of affairs continued till
1823, when a final separation took place, and another
Calvinistic Congregational Society was organized October
31, 1823, which purchased the meeting house ol the for-
mer society, corner of Alain and Rollstone streets, which
it occupied and on which location it has since remained.
i I
The Separation of Church and Stair.
Tliis seceding church, as before, comprised nearly ail
the church members and they took with them that portion
of the church records and other personal property which
had been in their possession previous to the reunion in
1814. This property and the records were, however, giv. n
up, on demand of the First Parish, notwithstanding
advice that the same could be retained, on the ground <>!
a vote passed at a church meeting just previous to sepa-
ration, as follows:
"Voted, unanimously, that those vessels and records which formerly
belonged to the church under the care of the Rev. Win. Kascom ■hall lie
left for the use of those who may wish to remain with the ]'it>t I'arisb
and the remainder to be taken for the use of those who unite with the
C. C. Society."
As we have before stated, this separation of the two
societies was final, and the practical separation ol parish
and town affairs was accomplished, as, indeed, it really
had been in Fitchburg since 1805. As in Pitch burg, so
throughout the stale, for the division of llu- inhabitants
of a town into two nearly equal societies iii.hU- it ueecs
sary that parish affairs should be kept out of town
meeting.
When the eleventh amendment to the state constitu-
tion was adopted in 1833, legally dissolving the relation
of church and state, that relation was already dissolved.
We have thus, in an inadequate manner, sketched the
history of the union and dissolution of church and state
in Massachusetts. At first the church was the state, and
its authority was supreme, but in process oi time the
state assumed authority over the church and the church
rebelled: The church of the Puritans and the theology of
the Puritans persisted, but the descendants of the Puri-
tans again became Separatists, even as their forefathers
two centuries before. In these later separations ot the
nineteenth century the legitimate successors of the early
churches generally left a minority in possession and, though
they set up their abodes in other places they were, ecclesi-
astically speaking, still the First Churches and in the line
of ecclesiastical succession from the churches o( the fathers.
Notwithstanding this, by virtue of a decision ot the Su-
34
The Separation of Chureh and Stair.
preme Court, they were not legally the original churches,
but became new churches joined to new parishes. Relig-
ious soeieties were formed under slate laws, to take the
plaee of the old town parishes, and practically the same
relation exists to-day between church and parish, as did
formerly between church and state.
1786109
THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE CA
VINKSTIC CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Read at a meeting of the Society, December 10, 1901
15 Y GEORGE A. HITCHCOCK.
In the paper entitled "Separation of Church and State"
already presented by Mr. Bailey, may be found a vcrv
able and the legitimate introduction to this historical ac-
count of one of the dominant forces which have made our
city a beneficent power in the Common wealth; and we
trust the purpose suggested by our president to have
those of our different churches presented, may be fulfilled.
The doctrine of regeneration, or the second birth, is
one of the vital tenets of the Calvinistic faith. In har-
mony with this tenet the Calvinistic Congregational church
is singularly furnished with two birthdays. The official
organ of the denomination, the Congregational Year Book,
gives the date 1768, while our local authorities give it as
1823!
Of the first date it may be said that the claim as
presented by Rev. Alfred Emerson in his centenary address
in 1808- is generally held as the correct one, by those who
have taken the pains to investigate; while the record of
the first permanent organization furnishes the date ol
October 31, 1823.
The record of the First Church of Fitchburg, organ-
ized January 7, 1708, and of its struggles during the follow-
ing quarter of a century is part of the oft-written history
of the town, and its recital is not necessary here. The
writer is inclined to take neither of these dates, but one
midway between them, as the natural and legitimate one.
Just one hundred years ago next summer, August 29,
1802, Rev. Samuel Worcester preached his farewell sermon
to a very large congregation of the old church. This date
marks most significantly the final dissolution of church
36
The First Ha If -Century of the
and state, in our town at least. His subsequent <
furnishes us with a clear understanding ol the charactei
of the man who did much in moulding the Calvinistic
church, and he may very appropriately he considered its
godfather. A few words at this point concerning him may
not be out of plaee. About the time of his dismission a
messenger from Salem came to Fitchburg. As he rode into
town he met a man of good appearance whom he stopped
for inquiries. "Do you know Mr. Worcester, sir? We
want a minister for the Tabernacle in Salem. How would
he do for us?" "Why," said the respondent, "I don't
like the doctrine of Mr. Worcester, but he is a man of
talents, a good scholar and a gentleman. I! you like
his doctrine you will like him— but I don't." The answer
was all that was desired and he made the fame of the
Tabernacle church of Salem secure, as the Antioch of For-
eign Missions.
While Samuel J. Mills was the originator of the move-
ment which led to the formation of the American Hoard,
Dr. Samuel Worcester was the founder of the Board itself.
It was on the old road from Andover to Bradford that he
first suggested the plan to Dr. Spring of Newburyport,
and these two adopted the idea and rested not until it
was carried out. The nieniory of this great service of Dr.
Worcester to the church and to missions should be kept
green. No finer tribute has been paid to him than this
from a leader of that denomination whose tenets he so
strenuously withstood, Dr. A. P. Pcabody. He says :" Dr.
Samuel A. Worcester, a pioneer in the cause, whose pre-
scient mind saw in its very inception its destined triumph,
and whose plastic and organizing ability was second to
no agency in its early success and rapid growth. Though
a keen controversialist he was pre-eminently a man of
beatitudes, uniting with the hardiest features of character
a strenuous purpose and indomitable will— all the ameni-
ties of a Christian gentleman."
Following his departure in 1802 a considerable body
withdrew from the new meeting house and continued
Sabbath-day services in the "Farwell house" on West
Main street, with Rev. Titus T. Barton as pastor. Dur-
to incorporate
ing this time, in 1805, an act was passed
Calviuistic Congregational Church.
37
a number of the inhabitants of the town of Fitcbbure in
the county of Worcester into a religious Society in Pitch-
bin- by the name of the Calvinistic Congregational Church
m FitchbuKg," as the following preamble indicates.
"Whereas the Congregational Church in Fitchburg, together with
those who meet with said church lor the worship of God, have pet.-
tioned this Court to be incorporated into a distinct religioui society lor
the reason expressed in their petition, and it appearing reasonable to
this Court that the prayer thereof be granted.
* * * * * * * * %
June 14-, 1S05. By the Governor approved.
Caleb Si bong.
"This may certify that we the subscribers, being inhabitants of the
Town of Fitchburg, wish to belong to the religious Society in said
Town about to be incorporated by the name of the Calvinistic Congrc-
gational Societ}'."
This was the legal christening of the infant church, so
that we may consider the following eighteen or twenty
years' experience of the life of the two branches interwo-
ven—sometimes together, sometimes apart— like a pair of
twins, children of the same parent stock; inclined as
healthy boys usually are, to have their quarrels, bat
growing into maturity side by side, united in the grand
purpose to furnish divine ideals to the community.
Concerning the name "Calvinistic," which has given
occasion for heated discussion from time to time in later
years, it may be said that the founders of the church had
no intention of affixing this name upon it in the same
sense that metropolitan churches are now named, neither
did they necessarily claim to bind it to the doctrines of
John Calvin to the exclusion of other divines of equal
worth and ability. It was the common name of all the
churches in this neighborhood — the Calvinistic church of
Westminster, of Leominster and elsewhere, by which they
were distinguished from those from which they had sepa-
rated. In the case of these churches, necessity did not
require the retention of any distinguishing name, while
here in the rapidly growing town, with various churches
of different orders springing up all around it, the name
became a fixture — very properly so, because it was so in-
corporated. It would be well for the present generation
38
The First Half -Century of the
to consider this very just estimate which Fiske, the histo-
rian, has given. lie says:
"Perhaps not one of the mediaeval popes was more despotic in tem-
per than Calvin, but it is not the less true that the promulgation >,( bil
theology was one of the longest steps that mankind have taken to
personal freedom. Calvinism left the individual man alone in the
enee ot his God. His salvation could not be wrought out by pi
ritual, hut only by the grace of Cod abounding in the soul. In en]
ing it upon men's minds with that keen-edged logic which he used with
such unrivalled skill, Calvin made them feel, as it had perhaps never
been felt before, the dignity and importance of the human soul. In a
church, moreover, based upon such a theology there was no room for
prelacy. Each single church tended to become an independent eola-
tion of worshippers, constituting one of the most effective schools that
has ever existed for training men in local self-government."
It is unnecessary for us to endorse all the stern fea-
tures of his doctrines which was begotten by those stren-
uous times, but taking this broader view of the impress
he made upon the Congregational polity of the New Eng-
land churches, a defence of or an apology lor the name
Calvinistic is hardly neeessar}', The abbreviated title by
which the church is now designated — C. C. church— is a
most convenient cloak under which is hidden past ecclesi-
astic disputes. Even inquisitive youth sometimes imagine
it has some reference to the traditional noon-hour lunch
of Crackers and Cheese, which our grandfathers enjoyed
under the old horse-shed, now gone forever. The first
record in the books of the C. C. church is self-explana-
tory, and is as follows :
"The Deacons of all the several churches not being episcopal
churches, being by an act of the commonwealth passed the 20** of Feb-
ruary 17SG constituted so far bodies corporate as to take in succession
all grants and donations made to their several churches, and to sue
and Defend in all actions touching the same And there having been
made to the Church of Christ in Fitchburg of which we the Subscrib-
ers are the Deacons, Donations to the amount of nearly six thousand
of Dollars in money by Sundry well-Disposed persons who recpiest that
the sums they gave should always be kept at interest and the in-
terest applied to the support of the Pastor of the church while time
shall last. We the Deacons of the aforesaid church met on the lf>*h oi
May 1805 to transact business relative to our legal trust and the bet-
ter to carry into effect the desires of the liberal donors to the church
and to promote the interest of the church which is thus done accord-
ing to the act of the Legislature above mentioned."
Calvinistic Congregational Church.
30
[The latter part of the record is the usual form of ft I of <aganiz.-,-
tionj.
"Signed Kendall Uoutel i / ><;<< om
Daniel Putnam oi tht
EUENEZKK ThI'KSTOM | above nninni
John THURSTON Jk ) Church
"Voted and chose John Thurston Jr Cleark. Bbenezer Thui
Treasurer "
The list of donors, which may properly be called the
founders of the C. C. church, is herewith appended,* but
for sake of brevity the writer will only say that among
this list are found six Thurstons, live Batons, live Lowes,
three Boutells, three Messengers, three Downes, three
Far-wells, two Kinsmans and one each of the following
names: Damon, Pool, Putnam, Pratt, Upton, Lawrence,
Simonds, Hutchinson, Whiting, Perkins, Phillips, Kimball,
Parker, Allen, Brown, Daniels, Goodridge, Hall, Barton,
Fuller, Houghton and Wheeler.
These donations were committed to the deacons, the
legal trustees of the property of the church, who immedi-
ately loaned the same back to the same parties, taking
securities for the same. This was done, be it remembered,
because there were no savings banks or loan societies in
existence here at that time.
* FIFTY-FOUR FOl
Timothy Damon
Thomas Eaton
Rev. Titus T. Barton
Ebenezer Thurston
Aaron Eaton
Amos Lawrence
Stephen Thurston
Joseph Simonds
Thomas Thurston, Jr
Calvin Messenger
Ebenezer Hutchinson
Bethany Whiting
Thomas Eaton, 3d.
Seth Phillips
Joseph Downe
Kendall Boutell, Jr.
John Far well, Jr.
Asaph Boutell
NDEKS OF CALVINIST
CHURCH.
Simeon Farwell
Phineas Allen
Venn Daniels
Asaph Goodridge
Elias Messenger
John Farwell
Moses Hall
Aaron Houghton
Timothy F. Downe
Thomas Thurston
James Fool
Daniel Putnam
John Pratt, Jr.
John Upton
Nathaniel Boughtell
Jonathan Lowe, Jr.
John Thurston
Jeremiah Kinsman, Jr.
1C CONGREGATIONAL
John Messinger
Widow Mary Lowe
Widow Abigail Lowe
Palmedus Perkins
Ephraim Kimball
Benjamin Parker
Jonathan Lowe
Benjamin Parker, Jr.
Kendall Boutell
Joel Eaton
Phineas Brown
Thomas Eaton, Jr.
Jeremiah Kinsman
Isaac P. Lowe
John Thurston, Jr.
Amos Wheeler
Xehemiah Puller
Joseph Downe, Jr.
40
The First I Id //-Century of the
Concerning this first "temple of sacred worship," we
quote from a very interesting paper written by Mrs. Da-
vid B. Silsby in 1895, which was read on the occasion of
the last service in the second meeting house before its
demolition.
"This edifice was by no means beautiful, neither was it comfortable
lor young and old. Our great grandfathers never saw the dime list.
of the purse carried at the present day and doubtless their - .
looked as beautiful to them as we anticipate ours will be. The enti
to their church was from Main street by long steps made of wood The
pews had very high backs with long seats fastened to them with binge*.
At each end of these seats was a short one for the children. In
was a chair which served a convenient place for men's and bov»' hat?,
During the Sabbath school this chair was occupied by the teacher. Thw
certainly was a very comfortable arrangement for the teacher, but foi
the children on the high-backed seats, the spinal column must have been
straightened rather more than nature intended.
"It was the custom of the congregation to rise during prayer. In
that case all the long seats were raised in order to give more room to
those standing. The desk in the pulpit was so high that a number of
blocks were provided for the convenience of the minister who should
happen to be so unfortunate as to be unable to reach the top of the
desk. One very short man found it needful to use all the blocks on one
occasion. He was repeating the text, 'A little while and ye shall sec
me and again a little while and ye shall not see me,' when for some
reason, the foundation he had built gave way, and suddenly they did not
see him."
Stringed instruments for the sinjiers
'o
gers accompaniment,
and foot-stoves for the comfort of the mothers in Israel;
these, by reason of their constant need of replenishing,
were a source of vexation to the janitor, whose stove
was unceasingly robbed of coals and floors littered with
ashes. The janitor at that time was Stephen Dole, the
grandfather of the present one, Thomas R. B. Dole.
Mr. Barton was dismissed in February, 1813, and the
First Parish made overtures for a reunion of the two
societies, which were accepted the latter part of that year.
Mr. Bascom, the pastor of the First Parish, was dis-
missed about this time, and for more than a year there
was no settled pastor, but in August, 1815, Rev. William
Eaton accepted a call and preached until June 30, 1 823,
when he was dismissed at his own request. This truce
between the two wings was finally broken Oct. 31, 1823,
Calvinistic Congregational (hurt I,.
11
a truce which was made, doubtless, by financial iti
for a self-supporting church was at this time an untried
experiment, and the task must have seemed a stupendous
one.
It was during this decade that Asa Thurston
educated and embarked as one of the pioneer missionaries
to the Sandwich Islands. A son of Thomas Thnr
one of the founders of the C. C. church, he was born ' I
ber 12, 1787, graduated from Yale College in 1816, from
Andover Seminary in 1819, and sailed from Boston with
others, who formed the first hand of missionaries sent to
the Sandwich Islands, October 23, 1819. Alter a voyage
of over five months he reached his destination March 31,
1820, to find the inhabitants in greater depths of hea-
thenism than those other pilgrims found, who sailed into
Massachusetts Bay two hundred years before. For more
than forty years he remained at his post, never again
revisiting his native land.
The first record of the C. C. church after its final sep-
aration from the First Parish is interesting history.
"Friday, Oct. 81, 1823. The church assembled agreeably to notice
given the preceding Sabbath. Brother Abel Thurston signified his ac-
ceptance of the office of Deacon, to which he had been chosen at a pre-
vious meeting.
"The particular object of. this meeting was then stated bv the
moderator and after much consultation and deliberation on the sub-
ject it was moved and seconded that this Church remove its connection
from the First Parish and unite with the Congregational Society
(formed this day) in the town of Fitchburg.
"The above motion being put by the moderator, twenty out of
twenty-five voted in the affirmative. Those who did not vote in the
affirmative were then Severally enquired of their reasons for not voting;
to which different answers were given. They were then particularly
requested to state whether the}' wished the church to delay or adjourn
on their account and each for himself stated that he did not. The idea
was then suggested that a part of the church would choose to remain
with the First Parish. In that case, an adjustment of the concerns oi
the church relative to the furniture and records which they now hold
in Common would be very desirable that no unhappy differences might
hereafter arise.
" Voted unanimously that those vessels and records which formerly
belonged to the church under the care of Rev. William Baseom shall be
left for the use of those who mav wish to remain with the First Par-
42
TJic First Half-Century of the
ish and the remainder be taken for the use of those who unite with the
C. C. Soeiety.
Attest Walter Johnson, Ch. Clerk."
These church records kept by Walter Johnson, its first
clerk, were written in a remarkably distinct and beautiful
penmanship.
Three weeks later Rev. Rufus A. Putnam was called as
pastor and was ordained February 4th, 1824. lie re-
mained seven years, officiating at communion for the last
time April 24, 1831.
He was a man of very lovable character and deep
piety, and only the inability of the society to pay an ade-
quate salary appears to be the cause of his departure.
In 1SG4 he was living in Pembroke, N. II., where he re-
sponded to an invitation from the centennial committee
of the town to be present at its celebration.
March 19, 1824, hardly a month after the settlement
of Mr. Putnam, a committee was chosen "to take into
consideration the subject respecting the establishing of a
Bible Class and Sabbath School;" which found fruition a
year later, and on March 28, 1825, the school was estab-
lished, with Jonathan Thurston as superintendent, four
assistants and twenty-seven teachers.
The constitution provided that it should be called The
Sunday School Society of Fitchburg, and that the school
should begin on the second Sunday in Alay and close on
the second Sunday in October. The first Sunday school
which our oldest citizens remember in Fitchburg was held
in a school house at the corner of Blossom and Creseent
streets, about 1816, when on Sunday . mornings a few
children would gather and recite verses from the Bible.
This C. C. Sunday school, however, which was estab-
lished in 1825, has continued uninterrupted until the pres-
ent time, always in a nourishing condition, to furnish the
greatest single factor in the Christian life ol the church,
as well as contributing almost continuously lor the sup-
port of students, either in foreign mission schools and
colleges, or in colored schools of the South, and in planting
new schools in the West.
The first assistant in this school was Abel Thurston,
and soon succeeding Jonathan Thurston, he held the office
\
\
REV. RUFUS A. PUTNAM.
Calviuistic Congregational Church. \%
of superintendent nearly forty years, until the dav of his
death.
The following persons have served as Btipcrintendcnl
in order of succession:
Jonathan Thurston, Albert C. Brown, Edwin A. Harris,
Abel Thurston, Samuel Whitney, Bli A. Hubbard,
John M. Harris, Alvin M. Sawyer, Henry P. Coggihall,
Henry F. Coggshall, Edward M. Rockwell, David 15. Silsby,
Charles Partridge, Clarence M. Converse, Albert C. Brown.
Henry M. Francis, George A. Hitchcock,
The controversy between the two parishes which rent
many New England churches during these years found ex-
pression here on account of the division of the church fur-
niture and records. After sundry meetings, seeking advice
of ecclesiastic council and employment of legal advice, the
C. C. society yielded all, and a committee consisting of
Joseph Richardson, Abel Thurston, Jonathan Thurston,
Walter Johnson and Abel Downe was chosen to collect
and deliver the aforesaid property, which they did imme-
diately after the close of this meeting, taking a receipt
therefor. One month later Dea. Thurston presented a com-
munication to the C. C. church from Nathan Ordway,
signed by him as clerk of the First Parish, making a gift
of certain records and furniture to the C. C. church, and
at a meeting held November 5, 1824-, it was voted "that
the further consideration of this communication be indefi-
nitely postponed."
On the 31st day of March, 1S2G, one month before
the birth of the American Home Missionary Society, the
church established its first missionary organization, known
as the " Auxiliary Tract Society of Fitchburg," "for the
purpose of promoting the circulation of moral and relig-
ious Tracts in this vicinit}' and of aiding the American
Tract Society in the extensive distribution of Tracts
through the most destitute parts of the United States and
of the Continent of America."
In these days of surfeit in literature, both religious and
secular, it is difficult to realize what hunger there was for
just such reading as this society was able to put into the
secluded homes of America by means of the Christian col-
porteur, who was as truly a missionary as any who crossed
oceans; and it was fallow ground which later Idled our
44
The First Half-Century of the
colleges with material for missionary work the world
around.
At the close of this meeting Walter Johnson resigned
the office of church clerk, and Alpheus Kimball was chosen
to the office; a man who was prominently identified in
town affairs, whose sons have since become actively iden-
tified in affairs of town, city, state and nation. His home
was on West Main street where now stands the Dea.
Wheeler house, and it was here that the meetings and
business were held until the first chapel was built. There-
after for sixteen years we find his name appended to every
record of the very active life of the C. C. church.
On January 4, 1827, the first steps were taken to or-
ganize a Department for Home Charities for the purpose
of relieving the "temporal wants of their brethren and
sisters who may be reduced to poverty." And this organ-
ization has been continued uninterruptedly to the present
time.
The grand total of gifts by these and kindred societies
since organized in the church amounts to more than
$150,000, exclusive of all church and parish expenses, and
is an assurance of its divine union.
It is hardly necessary to refer to the various eases of
discipline which burdened the books of these earlier years.
The deep responsibility which the church felt for the ac-
tions of its members may be the key by which to under-
stand its spiritual strength and virility, which we might
profitably consider.
May 9, 1832, Rev. John A. Albro was settled as pas-
tor. At this time the society's books show the names of
one hundred and forty-nine persons who were taxed for
its support. He came at a time when the harmony of the
church was disturbed over the acrimonious controversy
between two prominent members whose case had been be-
fore the church and had created a division in the church.
A council called to advise in the matter closed its findings
with these words: "The case is now resting entirely on
them [the two offending members] ; the question whether
peace and harmony are to be restored and the candle oi
the Lord to shine here as in times past, or whether this
Calvinistic Congregational Church.
- '
church is to be still distracted by di vision, and thus be
come like Admah and Zeboim, depends now upon the
spirit in whieh this result is received." 'the quarrel was
lor the time-being suppressed but burst forth later and,
as a result, Mr. Albro resigned the pastorate alter only a
short term of two years and eight mouths, settling over
the Shepard Memorial Church of Cambridge, where 1.
mained until his death in 1866.
He was a man of culture and considerable literary
ability. During his first year with the church, 1832, n
prosperous revival was the occasion of adding fifty mem-
bers to its rolls (many of these names would be familiar
if read), but only one of all this number is now living,
and this is our beloved and honored Dea. Ala-am hole,
the oldest living member.*
The next pastor called was Rev. Joshua Emery, a
recently graduated member of Andover Theological Semi-
nary, who remained only two years, resigning on account
of the long-standing contention.
It may seem like revealing the family skeleton to thus
refer to these difficulties, but in the rebuke whieh the dis-
missing council gave the church, is discerned the first hint
of the greatest upheaval which the century saw, and
which a quarter of a century later burst forth in t he-
great Civil War. The closing words of this rebuke were:
"Brethren, our heart's desire and prayer to God is, that you may lie
kept from the fearful desolations whieh have come over some oi the
fairest portions of Zion by the indulgence of party strife, and that \>>u
may be sometime united again in the resettlement of the gospel minis-
try and made joyful by the goings of our God in the midst of you."
In this hour of her humiliation the C. C. church
turned her face toward the devout and peace-loving pas-
tor, Rev. Rufus.A. Putnam, desiring him to come back to
guide, but this was not so to be, and after a whole year
of waiting, the Rev. Ebenezer W. Billiard was called and
ordained July 1, 1838.
Mr. Bullard was born in Sutton, Mass., educated in
Amherst College and Miami University, Ohio, where he
graduated in 1834, and from Lane Theological Seminary,
Dea. Abram S. Dole died October 12, 1U0I, aged R4 years 8 months.
4G
The First Half-Century of the
Ohio, in 1837. These facts may have had a bearing in
the conflict, which began very early in his ministry,
the slavery question, .and which soon resulted in a sepa-
ration and formation of another church. Although of
New England birth, his educational training at the age
when opinions are permanently formed was on the Ma-
son and Dixon line, where he doubtless was surrounded
with those influences antagonistic to our positive New
England opinions upon this question.
Mr. Bullard was a man of very attractive personality,
a courtly gentleman, which graces won for him a large
and earnest following, while his lukewarm attitude toward
the anti-slavery movement created for him a stubborn
opposition.
At the beginning of the year 1840 a church meeting
was held where a determined effort was made under the
leadership of Thomas Eaton, Alpheus Kimball and others,
to place the church on record as in sympathy with the
anti-slavery movement. This purpose was defeated by the
plea that the church should not interfere in polities. This
action was followed by several cases of disciplining those
who absented themselves from communion because " the
church did fellowship with slaveholders" and on account
of the church's action at the aforesaid meeting. These
persons were all excommunicated with two exceptions.
Benjamin Snow, Jr., and wife, who had been active work-
ers in church affairs, having requested letters ot dismission
and recommendation to a church in Troy, X. \ ., the ac-
tion on these requests having been deferred, he sent the
following statement to the church: "I have thought of
asking a letter of recommendation to a church in Troy.
I now wait the action of this church, as I am not sure
that the church with which I wish to be connected would
not consider an excommunication a better recommenda-
tion, knowing the circumstances." The church at once
voted to comply with his request and issued the letters
called for. If the feeling was so intense in one church over
this question, what must it have been all over the land?
Two years later the church voted to rescind the non-
interference act and chose the following committee to take
REV. EBENEZER W. BULLARD.
Cahinistic Congregational Church.
17
the subject of slavery under consideration and report at a
future meeting: Abel Thurston, Jacob H. Merriam, Daniel
Lowe, Thomas Eaton and William Downe. The p;
was afterward added to the com mi tier.
But this action had been taken too late, for on Janu-
ary 12, 1843, twenty-three heads of families presented n
letter requesting dismission from the church for the pur-
pose of forming the Trinitarian church, which letter was
granted.
It may be claimed that this secession of a considerable
body of the church's most devoted members foreed the
church to take the pronounced stand which it immediately
did. It may be allowed, and yet thereby the great under-
current of thought and belief was crystallized, which her
loyal sons of the present day are proud to record and
recall her firm stand for libert}'.
March 3, 1843. The pastor requested to be excused
from acting with the committee, which reported as fol-
lows :
"The committee chosen to consider the subject of slavery, having
received notice that the pastor declined serving on that committee and
having proposed to our brethren who had absented from us on account
of the slavery question; that if they were pleased to unite with us in
preparing resolutions to be passed by the church we would resign and
have a new committee appointed; and having been informed that they
declined said proposal so long as the present pastor remains with us;
have proceeded to prepare the following Preamble and Resolutions as
expressing the views of this church on the subject of Slavery.
"While we deem it the dut}' of Christians at all times to oppose and
denounce sin in whatever form it may appear, we feel called upon in a
special manner as a church of Christ to raise our voice and exert our
influence against any evil which by its magnitude or enormity may
threaten any portion of our land, and particularly when such evil
claims the sanction of Christianity itself
"Therefore Resolved.
"l«t That the instution of slavery is an evil o( great magnitude.
alike cruel, unjust and oppressive to the slaves, and detrimental to the
Master: conducive of unmixed evil to the country and an abominable
sin against God, and as such, ought speedily to be abolished, and that
as Christians we can in no way countenance or uphold it, but deem it
our duty in all suitable ways to exert our inlluence and use our best
endeavors to put an end to it in our land.
"2nd Resolved that we can have no connection with this unfruitful
work of darkness and therefore we will not invite to our communion
48 The First Half -Century of the
table and that our pastor be requested not to invite to the desl
person who is guilty of the sin of slave-holding.
Signed Abel Thurston
Thomas Baton
William Downs Committee"
Daniel Lowe
Jacob II. Merriam
This report was accepted and adopted without a dis-
senting vote, and the pastor requested to forward a copy
of these to the offices of the Boston Recorder and New
England Puritan for publication.
There has been a common impression upon the minds
of many, that during these years and leading up to the
time of the Civil War, the C. C. church was lukewarm,
if not actually hostile, to the anti-slavery movement.
Whatever may have been individual opinions at that
time, the stand thus taken by the C. C. church was un-
mistakable, which twenty years later was sealed by the
blood of many of her members and their children.
It is also significant that we are able to record the
fact of another great ingathering, immediately following
this action, whereby seventy-four names were added to the
church rolls.
December 8, 184-3, the church officially approved the
action of the society in the undertaking to build a new
church. The old church was at once sold and removed to
I lie corner of Main and Laurel rIivHh, where if wn«* usril
loi business purposes until Llie eieeLioi) ul Lite prcbciil
Dickinson block.
The new house of worship was dedicated January 22,
1845, and the basement was utilized for business purposes,
being known as Granite Row on account of the material
used in its construction. By this union in the service of
God and Mammon as well as by the accession of many
strong financial helpers, the society prospered in a mate-
rial way while the strong undercurrent of spiritual lite
held the church to the ideals which the fathers had as-
pired to.
Yet, as with the individual life, so with the church,
which is no less the individual collective, the struggle ot
warring elements was felt during the following decade.
The tension upon the all-absorbing slavery question was
DEA. ABEL THURSTON.
Calvinistic Congregational Church.
19
so great as to tax all the wisdom of the leaden ol the
church. It was during these days that Harriet Becchef
Stowe was setting the nation aflame with her serial,
Uncle Tom's Cabin, gathering its opening scenes from
own home-locality around Lane Seminary, Ohio whose
president was her father, Dr. Lyman Beeeher. It was dur-
ing these days that Rev. Mr. Bullard's sister— the wile ol
Henry Ward Beeeher— records the way by which her hus-
band aroused the conscience of the nation when from
Plymouth church pulpit, one Sabbath morning, he sold
the slave girl into freedom, and by his ringing den unci at ton
of the nation's crime. With such family connections the
course of the C. C. pastor may seem incomprehensible, vet
it only the more vividly illustrates the divine evolution ol
great questions of right and wrong.
On July 1st, 1852, the council which dismissed Mr.
Bullard closed with these words: "The council would also
fervently pray that God would overrule this important
crisis through which the Church is now passing to the ad-
vancement of His own glory."
April 19, 1853, the church extended a call to Rev. G.
Buckingham Wilcox, who accepted it and was installed
June 15, 1853.
We have imperfectly completed a recital of some of the
events of the first half century of the church's life. The
latter half is so rich in results and events which fire inter
\A<»V(II III III.' I'ily'tt III* <K> !<» lli'll'l olK Iimiii limiting ill.
attempt.
One department of church worship which has held
prominent interest ever since Moses and his sister Miriam
established the service of praise with the children of Israel
in the wilderness, calls for brief mention — music. This
fact is evidenced in connection with the C. C. church as
we read the first item in the first treasurer's book :
"Dec 1824- Paid Walter Johnson for providing for
singing and for money advanced to Rev Mr Putnam $3®?.n
This is followed by entries of various amounts, paid to
Amos Sheldon, Alpheus Kimball, Isaiah Putnam, Amos
Durant and others. The amounts paid were modest as
compared with those of to-day. For instance: "Paid
50
The First Half-Century of the
C. II. Searle for services as chorister for 1820 "MO""; Capt.
Durant services in singing same year v7""'; Joseph Upton
*5°_°; W Johnson *3°_°."
The only musical instrument mentioned in these records
previous to 1845, when the new church was dedicated,
was the bass-viol. "Paid Capt. Durant for repairing bass-
viol" ■'; "Paid Alvah Crocker for use of his bass-viol tour
years"; and in 1841, "Paid John T. Farwell for use of his
double-bass-viol and strings"; "Paid Leander Thurston
for playing bass-viol."
In 1831 Alvah Crocker was engaged as chorister .'it
the munificent salary of $13.00 a year, who held the po-
sition four years and was succeeded by Joseph Upton, Jr.,
who remained for fifteen years, and was followed suc-
cessively by his brothers John, Thomas and Edwin Upton.
Then came George Kimball, a talented New York musi-
cian, and N. A. Merriam. Once more Joseph Upton as-
sumed the leadership for a short time; Prof. E. H. Frost,
James P. Putnam and Simeon Fuller following.
A few years previous to the establishment of the or-
gan in the new meeting house in 1815, Roby Safford was
employed as "musician."
For many }^ears John A. Farwell, eldest son of Dea.
John T. Farwell, was organist, also his sister Maria, An-
drew Whitney two years, Prof. S. H. Long until 1860,
when Miss Ellen Eveleth, now the wife of Rev. Alexander
McKenzie, D. D., assumed the position. She was suc-
ceeded by Miss Mary Upton, and later Prof. 15. II. I la i Icy.
With Calvin Upton occupying the position of organ-
blower, Capt. Joseph Upton and six of his children as
members of the choir, it may be understood that the Up-
ton family contributed very materially and efficiently to
this branch of worship.
Mrs. Thomas Hale, a sister of Uncle Cyrus Thurston,
was the earliest leading soprano, followed by Miss Doro-
thy Kimball, the present Mrs. F. Foster Bailey, then Mrs.
Abel F. Adams, Airs. Joseph Baldwin and Miss Ruth
Trask. Mrs. James P. Putnam (also of the family of Up-
tons) was the leading contralto during these earlier years.
Calvinistic Congregational Church.
'A
About the year 1830 the society employed Alvah
Crocker as teacher of its annual singing school. Thii
grew to be an essential institution of the church winch
contributed for more than thirty years to exert great
influence on the soeial and esthetic side of the church's
life.
The introduction of musical
instruction in public
schools has superseded the denominational singing school,
with the result of a professional quartette replacing the
choir of voluntary singers. .
The delightful memories of the old singing school have
a tinge of sadness, yet we believe we can discern in the
change the evolution of truer ideas of worship whereby
the quartette of educated singers may be the nucleus
around which the worshiping congregation may more
intelligently unite in praise service.
The following names indicate the character and influ-
ence which the C. C. church and society held in the com-
munity fifty years ago, all of whom were actively identi-
fied in its interest :
Goldsmith F. Bailey, Amasa Noreross, Alvah Crocker,
Rodney Wallace, all of whom have served in the United
States Congress; Drs. Alfred Hitchcock, James R. Well-
man, Levi Pillsbury, Alfred Miller; Gen. Moses Wood.
William H. Vose, Stephen Shepley, Ephraim Whitman and
Lowell Miles, of Whitman & Miles Manufacturing Co.,
Sylvester C. Wright, founder of Fitehburg Machine Co.
In mercantile pursuits Charles Ide, Jaeob II. Fairbanks,
Ezra B. Roekwood, Charles Sawtell, John Upton, William E.
Wallace, William O. Brown, Abel Simonds, Thomas 1'almer.
Col. Edwin Upton, Alfred Wetherbee, Elijah M. Dickinson,
David Boutelle, Abel F. Adams, Henry F. Kenney, who by
his remarkable executive ability a few years later elicited
the commendation of President Lincoln for successfully
and promptly moving the immense Union armies into
Washington during the Civil War. These, with as many
more which might be named, have made the Calvinistic
church and society a tower of strength which we delight
to honor.
REMINISCENCES RELATING TO THE SECOND
MEETING-HOUSE IN FITCHBURG.
Read at a meeting of the Society, January LJo, I DDL'.
WRITTEN BY E. FOSTER BAIJLEY.
The subject assigned to me is, "Reminiscences Pertain-
ing to Fitehburg's Second ■Meeting-House,"—- the building
which now stands on the corner of Main and Circle streets;
and which was formerly located just in trout ot the pres-
ent Unitarian church. It is to the pre-existing state of that
old building before its transformation from sacred to sec-
ular uses that this paper is devoted.
My first acquaintance with it dates back to the year
1826, when I was six years old. On a certain bright,
sunny day in the early part of March of that year, imme-
diately succeeding a moderate snow storm, might be seen,
threading its way towards Fitchburg, up and down the
long, steep hills over the old Westminster road, (then the
shortest and best traveled way between Fitchburg and
Westminster,) a horse and sleigh, with a woman, two
little boys and a youthful driver. One of these boys— the
elder — was myself; the other was my brother, and the
woman was my mother; while the driver was the late
Samuel M. Dole. That morning's ride took us over what
was then called Cowdin's hill, nearly a mile long; then by
Asa Sawyer's to Factory hill — a descent so steep that it
was the dread of all women and of some men; then over the
old road to Daniels hill— a hill nearly as precipitous as
the former and some longer; then by Thomas Baton's, the
father of the late Daniel S. Eaton; down the long hill to
Jonas Marshall's; thence down West street into the
village.
Second Meeting-House in Fitchbtl
re.
This was my first look at Fitchburg. We had comc-
our little family of three-as adventurous emigrants from
a little hamlet in New Hampshire to this thriving town
to make it our home, and to make hue a livelihood out
of the possibilities of the future. We were landed by our
driver at the residence of Air. Benjamin Snow, whose
house then occupied the spot where now stands the resi-
dence of Mrs. C. J. Billings. This house, then owned and
occupied by Mr. Snow, has since been removed, and now
stands in Newton place, and to this day I never look
upon it without being stirred with a tender regard lor the
venerable structure which so kindly sheltered me upon my
first advent into Fitchburg. Our household goods arriv-
ing in a day or two, we were soon located in a small
house directly west of and adjoining the house now occu-
pied by Mrs. Sylvester Litchfield, then owned by Dr. Abel
Fox. This small house, our first home in Fitchburg, long
since disappeared to make room for its successor.
The old meeting-house, (afterwards the town hall,)
the subject of our narrative, stood but a lew rods from
our new home, and became a permanent factor in our
eastern landscape view. Our juvenile mind was more cap-
tivated with the magnitude of the structure than with its
architectural lines of beauty. It was a large, nearly square
building, very plain, with front entrance on the south
side; with no steeple and no ornamentation of any kind-
being rather barn-like in general appearance, save for the
two porch projections, one on the east and one on the
west ends, which served for entrances and stairways. It
stood somewhat askew to the street and surrounding
buildings, giving a unique awkwardness to the general
aspect. This was the result of a vote of the town to have
the house face exactly south, instead of directly down the
street, as originally designed. This vote was engineered
through town meeting by the disgruntled party which had
fought persistently for ten years for its location farther
westward. It was their "last kick" and the final ending
of the ten years' meeting-house controversy. It was said
that so interesting were the proceedings of those town
meetings that people from surrounding towns came in
crowds to see the show. In 18137 a great improvement
54
Reminiscences Relating to tin
was made in the building by the construction of a to
and belfry to receive a bell, the donation of Mr. j
Marshall. This was a timely and useful gift, and b
used for both parish and town purposes was highly ap-
preciated by the whole people. I have a dim recollection
of seeing the men standing on a staging and pulling a
short rope, sending the wave sounds pealing over the hills
and along the valleys of Fitchburg, announcing to the
people that a new institution had come to town. An in-
stitution, indeed, it was, convenient and useful, for it
informed the people of every case of death, specifying the
sex and age, and when the funeral was in process. It in-
formed the farmers every Sunday morning at nine (/clock
when they should make preparations for their Sabbath
day's journey, when to arrive at the meeting house and
when to take seats in the pews. It designated the proper
time for dinner and when to go to bed. It also sounded
the fire alarm and aroused the inhabitants from their mid-
night slumbers, when the fire fiend was abroad,— calling
forth both men and women with bucket and pail in hand
to form their lines to the river for the passing of water
to quench the devouring element. The donation of such
H y\\\ ivnH indeed a benefaction.
Mr. Marshall, the author ol this benefaction, eauic in
town when eleven years old, and by industry and shrewd
purchases of land became the richest man in town, except,
perhaps, the rich merchant of the Old City, Joseph Fox,
Esquire. He not only knew how to acquire property, but
also, what is as important in the race for riches, he knew
how to .keep it. I never heard of his losing by any in-
vestments he ever made except his venture in Maine lands
during the famous eastern land speculation, sometime in
the thirties, and in which he had plenty oi company.
While economical, he was also regardful of the necessities
of the worth}' poor. The Rev. Mr. Lincoln lived in his
family in the first years of his settlement in town. Mr.
Marshall was a firm adherent to the Unitarian faith, and
a zealous advocate of its doctrines. Although a Unitarian,
he was possessed of some of the stalwart elements of the
Puritan character. The square and plummet were the
Second Meeting-House in Fitchburg*
instruments by which he tested himself and other! in the
conduct of business. The strict fulfillment of agreements,
the prompt payment of debts, and a careful regard for
the legal prerogatives and limitations of property rtghti
were his creed. The rules, the performance of which be
exacted from others, he was scrupulously careful to prac-
tice himself. When a young man he had occasion to bor-
row a few hundred dollars of some one in the west part of
the town, by the name, I believe, of Hilton. The interest
on the note given he paid, for a series of years, exactly
on the da}' it became due, although sometimes he had to
travel miles on foot to do it. He abhorred usury, and
later, when he himself became a loaner of money, his rate
of interest was six per cent., — no more and no less; and
under no circumstances or temptations could he 'he in-
duced to deviate from the rule. I remember very well the
astonishment he manifested upon hearing that a good
Baptist friend was taking seven per cent, interest. Ik-
was a constant attendant of church services, and when in
advanced age he had become so deaf that he could hardly
catch a word of the sermon, he still, with the same punc-
tiliousness, continued his attendance— all for example's
sake. Independent in dress, as in other things, and re-
gardless of changing customs and the dictates of fashion,
he persisted in wearing knee breeches long after the fash-
ion had passed away, and wore his hair in a cue to the
end of his life.
The ground on which the meeting-house stood was
used by the public as a training field for the military and
for gatherings on holidays, and was the constant resort
of children of all ages for their various plays and sports.
During the spring and summer months when the schools
were in session, the flying feet of juvenile exuberance af-
forded a slim chance for the grass to grow. Our main
playground was the upper part of the common, it being
near the school house, which was on the corner of Me-
chanic street; and besides, the old church building afforded
us conveniences for some of our plays, such as "gool, '
"I spy," and "hail-over." There were in vogue many
games of ball, such as "long ball," "square ball," "drive
56 Reminiscences Relating to the
ball," "hail-over" and "hole-ball," and the outcry bawlt
consequent upon accident or conflict; such as "fall d
bawl," and "push down bawl." This constant tread ol
youthful feet made it impossible for vegetation of any
to assert itself above the earth. The modern sign-board,
"Keep off the Grass," with a policeman at hand to en-
force the command, had not then been invented, so that
the grounds around the church were generally innocent ol
that verdure of green so assiduously cultivated at the
present day. Our fathers had little time or inclination to
raise grass for esthetic purposes. The only adornments in
sight were the sticks and stones which the boys had left
from their plays.
Another source of amusement for us young children
was the watering trough. On a roadway running from
West Alain street to Mechanic street, close by the rear ol
the old church, lay this plain and rustic receptacle tor
water. To the best of my recollection it was a good.
sized log, hollowed out by the adze and chisel, with a hole
at the bottom to receive the lead pipe in which was in-
serted a piece of pipestem,— the small aperture being favor-
able to economy in the supply department. We never
lircd of watching (he little fishes ris llicv Riioiird in I Ik
water, cir lay iiicj'tiuiilcgta ill the vviiiiii rays •>! ilia: t»uii,
And then there was the amusement of gathering the waste
water in the roadway into little channels, which we called
the river, across which we built dams and flooded them
with water, and after placing our water wheels and im-
agining the existence of factory buildings, we were ready
for business. Then, having drunk in to satiety the de-
lights of construction, we turned around and took our till
of destructive delights by trampling down our dams, spill-
ing the water, breaking our water wheels and mill ma-
chinery in pieces, and with noise and confusion ending up
in a state of general bankruptcy. In winter the old
trough, by the freezing of its waste water, afforded us lots
of fun on the smooth patches of ice in the roadway.
Sliding on our feet on the ice was a very fascinating
amusement, but very detrimental, not only to the soles
of our shoes but also to the souls of our parents when
Second Meeting-) louse in Fitchbnrg.
67
they came to settle the shoemaker's hills. Still another
amusement was furnished by the old trough when we
conceived the idea of embarking in the shipping busi
with chips and little pieces of hoard for our vessels
pebble stones and such-like for freight. We imagined the
trough of water to be the Atlantic ocean, over which our
ships crossed back and forth laden with the commer.
the world— with no intermeddling tariff to disturb the
normal relations of exports and imports. Those were the
halcyon days of free trade— an era of prosperity.
This ancient relic— the watering trough,— long since-
passed from human view, but I find in memory's book its
name recorded as the children's friend. And now, my dear
old friend, permit me to recount your many virtues. If I
could I would immortalize thy memory. No school girl
ever gazed on thy placid face without a smile from thee.
No boy ever came to paddle in thy cooling waters with-
out thy kindly greeting, and for every thirsty soul that
sought thy side for a cooling draft thou hadst a generous
welcome, whether it was horse or ox or cow or dog. If
the giving of a little cup of water makes the giver meri-
torious and entitled to reward, what is thy merit and
what will be thy reward, who dispensed through many
years the cooling draft to thirsty thousands in unstinted
measure ?
Having given some idea of the church building and
the grounds around it, I will try to describe its interior.
I have already made mention of the main entrance and of
the two porches on the east and west ends that furnished
entrances . to the lower floor and stairways to the gal-
leries. Pews occupied the space next the walls, and be-
tween the pews and the ver}' front of the galleries were
two rows of bench seats. Those on the south, with a
portion on the east and west, were assigned to the sing-
ers. The remainder were used for the overflow of the
pews below, consisting generally of the younger members
of large families, whose family pews were insufficient for
their accommodation, and for indigent people who could
not afford to own a pew or hire a seat.
58
Reminiscences Relating: to the
The pulpit was on the north Bide— midway— and just
opposite the front entrance of the church, with the ancient
sounding board suspended above, to perfect the ncc
properties of the building. In the arrangement of the
lower floor, wall pews encircled the whole room, leaving
space for entrances from without on the east and
sides. From the front door to the pulpit ran the bi
aisle, and on either side were two rows of pews which
were generally appropriated by the elite of society.
the financially prosperous portion of the community. A
passage-way encircled the four rows of pews, affording ac-
cess to all the wall pews and one-half of the central pews—
the other half being entered from the broad aisle. The
stairs for the pulpit were on its west side, with a proper
landing at the pulpit door. It was well boxed up and
elevated, and when the door was closed the minister was
well secured against the gaze of the people below, but
open to the inspection of the boy in the gallery, whose
mouth would water with envying sweetness when he
espied the preacher taking his lump of loaf sugar during
the singing of the hymn preceding the sermon. The pews.
as I recall them now, were square, with openwork sur-
rounding the top, made of little turned sticks in spindle
form, Ihioiijdi which Ihr little fnlltH could \wv\\ find Imlil
sxjiHe boi I o! spiriLual conversation with Llk-ii lillle liicmls
in the adjoining pew. The seats, uncushioncd and hung
on hinges, were raised by the worshipers as they arose
at the opening of prayer, and were slammed down by
the small boy at the close, in chorus with the concluding
Amen.
The wall pews, especially those against the loosely
fitted windows and gaping cracks by the doorways, were
not particularly comfortable sittings in winter in zero
weather. The old box stove, although crowded to its
utmost capacity with the best of fuel, would make no
more impression on the temperature of the remote wall
pews than glints of sunlight on the frozen mosses oi the
Arctic regions. The old stove, save for its warming influ-
ence in its immediate localit}', was chiefly useful in fur-
nishing live coals for the little tire-pots in the foot-stoves
Second Meeting-House in Fitchh
mrg.
59
of the shivering women who had travelled miles to atf
the Sabbath service. It was a comfort to these Christian
souls, who had left their homes and faced the rigor* of
the weather for the sweet enjoyments of divine worship,
to have the dying embers in the little foot-stoves ex-
changed for living coals. But their robust and hardy
husbands, inured to cold and exposure, who kindly brought
forth the little stoves and made the desired exchang
the mouth of the old box stove, would tor themselves
reject with scorn such feminine comforts.
I remember that Mr. Joseph W. Mansur in delivering
some address in this same building, after it had become the
town hall, spoke of some English writer who, instituting
a comparison of the England of the then present and the
past, said, "In former times the houses were made of wil-
low, but the men were of oak, now the houses are of
oak and the men of willow." I think Emerson somewhere
in his writings— perhaps in a representative way— speaks
of those ardent and heroic souls who crave pain as a lux-
ury and pastime.
In such a community as the one of which we write,
not yet enervated by ease and luxury, whose members
made so much of worship and so little of personal priva-
tion, there was no occasion for resorting to costly sing-
ing, sensational sermons and club contrivances to induce
the people to come to church.
For two or three of the first Sundays after our settle-
ment in town I attended this church and sat in the pew
of Mr. Benjamin Snow, on the east side of the broad aisle,
the third or fourth from the pulpit. I have an imperfect
recollection of the presence of Rev. Calvin Lincoln in the
pulpit, — of his benignant look and reverend mien ; but my
remembrance of the text and sermon is nil. I presume my
attention was largely taken up with 1113- \roung friend,
William Hall Snow, whose acquaintance I had previously
made in one of the river towns of New Hampshire. The
old veteran of song, Cyrus Thurston, then a young man,
led the singing. The thing that made the deepest and
most abiding impression upon me was that large and mys-
terious sounding board above the pulpit. At that tender
GO
Remi
niscences Relating to tlic
age I was innocent of all knowledge of the science oi
acoustics, and was puzzled to know its use and pui ;
After pondering the question for some time I Bought iti
solution of some older boys, who very seriously told me
that its purpose was to keep a cheek on the preachei
if he should dare to tell the people anything different from
what the Lord commanded him to say, the iron rod which
held the structure to the timbers above would part and
let fall the avenging canopy upon the head of the offender.
This revelation was startling, and I felt that I would
not wish to be around when such a catastrophe should
occur.
In this state of mind I was willing to go with my
mother and cast in my lot with the C. C. church, the pul-
pit of which stood unguarded by any such terrifying ap-
paratus. I joined the Sunday school, the late venerable
Justin Stearns being my teacher, and of him I took my
first lessons in pictorial theology, beginning with the fall
of man in the garden of Eden. Our textbook was the
Evangelical Primer and Catechism, by Rev. Joseph Emer-
son, the father of Rev. Alfred Emerson, who so acceptably
ministered as pastor to the C. C. church for about ten
years, mostly in the sixties. At the top of each page in
lliis little lex 1 hook wen* I \vu wuoik'iilH which, though m»|
artistic to modern eyes, were to my childish fancy the
essence of beauty. The remainder of the page was devoted
to questions and answers, which constituted the dry por-
tion, requiring too much hard study to be pleasurable.
But the pictures were my delight and I never tired of
looking at them. The first represented the garden of Eden,
in which were Eve and the serpent; the serpent erect on
the end of his tail, pouring into the unsophisticated ear of
the woman his anarchistic doctrine of disobedience ami
treason. The second was Cain and Abel — Cain, witli the
uplifted club, ready to strike the fatal blow, while the in-
nocent Abel, with uplifted hands, was pleading to be spared.
And so the pictures extended through a series of pages,
illustrating the principal events of Old Testament history.
And now I am reminded of the three lines oi doggerel I
used to hear, invented, I suppose, by some waggish divine,
Second Meeting-} r louse in Fitcfiburg.
61
to illustrate the doctrine of the solidarity of the common
race with the specific, individual Adam:
"In Adam's fall we sinned all;
In Abel's murder we sinned finder;
In Koran's sin we all jined in."
There may have been originally another line; if so, I
have forgotten it. From this time my attendance at the
old church was occasional and infrequent. The denomina-
tional fences in those days were pretty high and the bars
were well put up.
The doors of the old church were generally kept locked
on week days, but occasionally one would be left ajar,
which, when discovered by juvenile eyes, became the sub-
ject of investigation. Reinforced by numbers, we would
push open the door and with timorous feet enter and look
around in expectancy for the personal visibility of the sol-
emn old hobgoblins we had conjured up in our imagina-
tions. Seeing none, and becoming familiarized with our
surroundings, we were ready to take our play with our
usual abandon.
What a wonderful thing is a child's imagination!
Prom whence came it, and what is its use? Did vou ever
observe with thoughtful care the little girl in the room
corner set apart for her play house, surrounded by her
dolls and playthings? how she will personify the inani-
mate things about her — giving them life and intelligence,
fit for communion and companionship? how she will talk
to them and with them — asking them questions and re-
ceiving their answers? how she assigns to each its respec-
tive part in the little playr to be performed, and brings the
performance to a close with encore and applause? Thus.
in one short half hour she creates whole pages of dramatic
art, containing frequently amusing originalities in details,
which for ease and spontaneity more than equal the plod-
ding efforts of the adult intellect. What is the interpreta-
tion of this phenomenon of child life, if it be not one o\
those processes in the evolution of childhood's mental
growth whereby, under the tutelage of angels and by the
62 Reminiscences Relating to the
imaging power of symbols, the emotional element* of be-
ing are translated into intellectual perceptions— a pi
which, like the kingdom of Heaven, cometh not with
servation? Fortunate is that child who is allowed hi.
full term in this unseen training school, without int.
enee by the presumed wisdom of older minds; for, as in the
development of the chick within the shell, Nature km
her own business best.
It was easy for us children, passing through this in-
teresting stage of our intellectual development, to take
our play among the pews of the old church and imagine
that the church was the city of the New Jerusalem, that
the aisles and passageways were the streets and alleyways,
and the pews the bright mansions for the habitation o(
angels; while the pulpit was the Great White Throne.
While playing our game of tag among the aisles we im-
agined we were fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah viii. 5,
"And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls
playing in the streets thereof." When tired of tag we
would take up hide and seek, hiding away in the dark cor-
ners of the silent pews and making believe that we were
concealing ourselves under the angels' wings.
Rev. Mr. Lincoln, the pastor, was a classmate in col-
lege of Rev. Rufus Putnam, pastor of the C. C. church.
They were on very friendly terms, and their social inter-
course was marked by acts of kindness and courtesy fill
ill v v 1 1 i * * 1 1 I mi < I (i v»'i v Irivoifihli inllin n n. ,i i . 1 1 1 1 1 r mill
allaying those asperities which still existed in tht Lwcj par-
ishes, as the residuents of past conflicts. Rev. Calvin Lin-
coln was a man who might be called a natural-born cler-
gyman. His mien and speech and the structure oi his
mind were clerical through and through. His characteris
tics as a Christian man and a pastor were of a high
order. He abounded in natural goodness, and the benig-
nity which shone in his face was as the pleasant light of
the sun. Although totally devoid of the spirit of personal
domination or self-assertion, yet such was the dignity o\
his virtues that no evil thing could long remain at ease in
his presence. In his intercourse with his people he accorded
to all the same affability in his greetings, and the same
REV. CALVIN LINCOLN.
Second Meeting-House in Fitchbitrg.
respectful regard; whether they were high or low, rich or
poor. Though manifesting the- spirit of that charity
which thinks no evil, and Which, in a sense, coven a mul-
titude of sins, which the worldly-wise are sure to regard
as a mark of unsophisticated weakness, lie had a keen
sense of the differences of personal character, rind he w:
used it to gather for future use such knowledge of personal
peculiarities as would enable him to adapt his labors to
individual cases. His gentle and sympathizing ways pecu-
liarly adapted him to the ministrations of the sick room,
bringing repose to the restless, relief to the anxious, and
solace to the suffering; while his wise selection of scrip-
ture and adaptation of remarks imparted light to the be-
clouded mind, and brought to the sick chamber the fore-
gleams of immortal life. As a preacher, he used written
sermons, scholarly in construction, unsensational and prac-
tical, which he delivered in a smooth, flowing voice, with
a clear and distinct enunciation, and with deliberation
and little variety in tone, but withal earnest and imj
sive. His pastorate in Fitehburg covered, I think, nearly
or cpjite thirty years, during all of which time he held the
love of his people, and I do not now remember of hear-
ing of any instance of jar or friction between pastor and
people. It was as impossible for any one to pick a quar-
rel with Mr. Lincoln or get up a personal dislike against
him, mm ii would be lor n fiu'iuci In mii.umI with \\i<
grilled rays «►! the vernal sun.
The influence of his amiable life and personal virtues
extended beyond the limits of his own parish, and he had
the esteem of all the people of the town. When a boy I
have heard more than one good Orthodox church member
say in substance that if it was possible for Unitarians to
be saved and admitted into the kingdom of Heaven, they
were sure that Mr. Lincoln's name would head the list.
His nature was not aggressive. He was not born to be
the bold reformer. He didn't try. He knew his mission
better. His whole nature shrank from controversy and
conflict. It was an impossibility for him to strike the
mighty blows of Luther, or even to act the role of John
the Baptist; but rather of the gentle Christ who came
G4
Second Mecting-House in Fitchbnw
after, and whose life he sought to imitate, save, perhaps,
in one particular. I do not think he would have
the whip of cords to drive out those desecratori who by
trade and barter profaned the Holy Temple.
Such living is called weakness by this striving, rush-
ing, pushing world, that would create a universe in n
day, and right all its evils in one short moment, forget-
ting that thorough work requires more time; that (',<><]',
ways are not as man's, for lie himself is never in a hur-
ry, and has throughout the wide circle of his creative
realm forever linked fineness in the product with slowness
in the grinding. But, if weakness, it is that weakness
which the Father uses to confound the wisdom of the
wise, and which in Paul was Christian strength. Mr.
Lincoln's type of strength was not the heaving earth-
quake or the roaring wind, but rather the mild, warm
and silent rays of the vernal and summer sun, which con-
tinued, day by clay, week by week, and month by month,
brings fruitage to the fields; or that silent, penetrating
force that draws upward in the young tree the vital sap
from its buried roots, for its sustenance and growth
through many years, till in maturity of vital strength it
gives back as its reward its ripened fruit on laden boughs.
REMINISCENCES OF THE OLD TOWN 1 1 A J.I
Read at a meeting of the Society t April U 1 , 1902
WRITTEN I5Y E. FOSTER BAILEY.
Prosperous towns with a steady growth in popula-
tion will gradually come to feel the pressing necessity for
further accommodation, and not infrequently will two or
more such public needs make themselves manifest at the
same time. Such was the case in Fitchburg in the year
1836. For some little time the conviction had been grow-
ing among the people that a town hall was an urgent
necessity. Indeed, as early as 1814, some pioneer in mu-
nicipal progress had an article put into the warrant for
town meeting, as follows: "To see if the Town will pur-
chase of its proprietors the Meeting House in which the
late Calvinistic Congregational Society worshiped, and
turn it into a Town Hall or Academy." But this seems
not to have met the approval of the town, as the meet-
ing was dissolved without taking any action thereon.
The First Parish (Unitarian) had in 1836 taken the
initiatory steps for the building of a new meeting-house;
and School District No. 1 was in need of a new school
house. So a plan was talked up for the school district
and town to unite and erect a building that would fur-
nish accommodation for both town hall and school pur-
poses. The First Parish, being about to erect a new
building, would naturally wish to dispose of the old one
to the best advantage. It was plainly evident that the
time had come, and now was the opportunity to move
for a town hall.
Accordingly a town meeting was held December 31,
1836, at which the following vote was passed :
"Voted to choose a committee with authority to build a Town
House, or to contract for and superintend the construction oi such a
building, either in conjunction with School District No. 1, or alone, as
they may think for the interest of the Town."
60
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall.
The members of the coi
mmittee were David Boutclle,
Jonas Marshall, Amos Durant, William Carlcton and Jo-
seph Townsend. This committee rejected the proposition
to unite with School District No. 1, and purchased the
old First Parish meeting-house, and also a lot of laud on
which to plaee it, at the corner of Circle and Mam streets,
as appears by the reeord of the first town meeting held
in the town hall, November 13, TS37. The committee
reported the eost of the town hall as follows:
For the site on which the building stands,
purchase of the old meeting house,
" moving the same,
" stone work, including thresholds,
" painting,
" labor and materials,
" 2 stoves and funnel,
Cr.
liy old porches and odd stuff sold,
Net
$1000.00
410.00
200.00
518.00
1 10.00
639.86
fc3.87
$2951 T.'i
SL'U.IG
I remember that one day in the summer of 1S37 I
saw, on its plank way, pointing towards Cirele street,
the old First Parish meeting-house, ready to take its ad-
venturous journey to another locality to be used by dif-
ferent owners for different ends. For forty years its walls
had echoed to the services of worship — of prayer and praise.
They had also echoed Lo I he wrangles ol Filehburg town
meetings, which last echoes were in prospect of continu-
ance, and which we may suppose made the coming transi-
tion less abrupt and painful. That summer day, which
witnessed the venerable old building ready to make its
journey, we may presume marked the division line of its
metempsychosis, and henceforth we will call it the town
hall.
The contractor for moving the building, as I remem-
ber him, was past middle age, and was undoubtedly pos-
sessed of considerable experience in such work. I think he
lived somewhere in the southern part of the county. 1 do
not recall his name, but he successfully accomplished his
job with the use of no other power save that of pure man
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall.
67
muscle, operated on wood rollers, with iron bars. It tool:
quite a number of men, and when they were duly placed
on the two sides of the building, each to his respective
roller, with his bar in its socket, it was necessary, in order
to secure the best results, that all should pull in unison
When everything was thus ready, the old man, every inch
a commander, would give the signal in voice unmistaka-
bly loud and energizing, tor a long pull and a pull all to-
gether, and the building would move perhaps three or four
inches; then, with a replacing of the bars and another
pull, three or four inches more might be gained. And so
the great building marched slowly and surely to its desti-
nation, furnishing another proof of the maxim that "large-
bodies move slowly."
The building was made into two stories. The upper
story was the hall for town meetings, public gatherings,
lectures, etc., and was arranged as follows: The desk was
at the southerly end of the room, midway; a floor space
occupied about one-third of the width of the building from
the desk to the doors opposite. This space was filled with
settees when the space was needed for seatings, but these
could be taken out when needed for standing room. On
either side of this space were arranged stationary seats,
rising towards the walls by steps of some six or eight
inches, facing the opposite side of the room instead of the
desk, which made the settees the more desirable seats.
The stove was on the north side, between the doors.
The entrance from the street, and the stairways, were far
from being commodious, the stairs being steep and the
entry-way- rather contracted. The lower story of the
building was made into two apartments for business pur-
poses, though I believe the Fusiliers occupied one oi them
for their armory.
The first lecture I remember of attending in the town
hall was in the winter of 1838-39, and was given by a
Frenchman, whose name I do not now recall, on the sub-
ject of animal magnetism, now called hypnotism by its
new advocates, in expectation, I presume, that a change o\
name would impart to the old rose a sweeter fragrance.
After the lecture the new force was illustrated by a Mr.
Locke of Westminster, wdio had for his subject a boy ot
6*8
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall.
some ten or twelve years of age, from the same town.
Mr. Locke put his subject into the somnambulic state
by passing his hands repeatedly from the head downward
along the arms, and when the unconscious state was in.
duced he was ready to be submitted to the tests of the
skeptics. There was present that evening Charles II.
Cragin, teacher in the academy, who was also studying
medicine with Marshall & Abercrombie, and he was deter-
mined to satisfy himself as to the reality ol this alleged
abnormal sleep, and particularly whether the boy was in-
sensible to pain, as was claimed. So, when the boy was
submitted for examination, Mr. Cragin placed himself be-
hind the chair occupied by the subject, in such a position
that he was sure that not the least motion of the mus-
cles could be made without being detected, and then he
plied the boy with a pin to that extent that he was cer-
tain that no one in a normal condition of sleep could en-
dure it without making some manifestation. Mr. Cragin
went home that night in the full belief of the boy's hon-
esty and with his own skepticism badly shaken.
During the months of January and February, Ts3(J,
some of the young people of the town busied themselves
in getting up some amateur theatricals, and in March
gave an exhibition in the town hall, where they presented
to the Fitehburg public the tragedy ol ,4 Brutus" for two
01 three nights in succession, and the hall was well tilled
each night. Some of the actors were: Ira Carleton, in
the part of Brutus; Thomas Oakman, as Titus; James
Peirce, as Sextus Tarquin ; Asa Farwell, as Collatinus;
Miss Caroline Benjamin and Miss Eliza Oakman also had
parts, while Deputy Sheriff Horace Newton stood behind
the scenes and manufactured thunder and lightning with
sheet iron and gunpowder. After the tragedy a comedy
was enacted, in which Charles S. Litch had the leading
part and made the play a success.
I remember a Whig political meeting in the hall in the
autumn of 1840. This was the year of that most extraor-
dinary campaign which elected William Henry Harrison
president — the campaign in which the Whigs so neatly
and completely stole the thunder of the Democratic party
Reminiscences of tlie Old Town llnll.
and turned it with telling effect on their <>\<\ em-,
Soon after Harrison's nomination sonic very indiscreet
Democratic editor came out with an article to show Mr.
Harrison's incompetency for the duties of president, call'
111!
him an "old granny," and representing him as living
in a log house, decorated with coon skins, where he daily
sat and drank cider with his friends. The Whig editors
were not slow to see their opportunity and to use it.
Harrison's military and political life was a matter of
written history, and could not be wiped out, but this
Democratic description fairly placed him in regard to his
daily life among the ranks of the common people. The
Whigs accepted this description and represented Van Bu-
ren as an aristocrat riding in a splendid imported equi-
page, and living in princely style, with his dining table
ablaze with silver dishes and gold spoons. Thenceforth
log cabins, copn skins and hard cider tilled the Whig
papers and became the battle-cry of the party, and, also,
to speak figuratively, became the "spike team" which
carried the party to power and swept the political field
as by a whirlwind.
I remember this meeting in Fitchburg was preceded
by a procession, with some torches. The speaker of the
evening was a gentleman from an adjoining town, who
had been a lawyer and was now a farmer. He had his
speech well prepared and delivered it in good style. He
seems to have caught the keynote of the campaign, for
he made it his great point to identify his party, as well
as himself, with the common people, and in speaking he-
stood on the floor of the hall instead of at the desk as
usual. I remember that in the course of his address,
stretching out both hands to show their full size, he said
with much emphasis, "These huge paws minister to my
daily necessities."
Shortly after the Democrats held a meeting in the
town hall, at which Nathaniel Wood, Esq., was the
speaker. He referred to the speech made at the Whig
meeting, noticed some of the arguments, and spoke oi
the seeming anxiety of the orator to appear very demo-
cratic. Mr. Wood said, "I stand here in this desk because
it is more convenient for me and for vou, but he, tor
70
R
cminisccnccs of the Old Town HalL
effect, chose to stand down on the floor where that gfl
spot is." Those were the days of oil light*, and the
tor had carelessly spilled some oil on the floor, just in the
right place to give peculiar aptness to the remark, which
brought out a round of applause. I am unable to bring
to mind any other political meetings in the town ball
during that fall, though I presume there were others
But I remember very well the November town meeting for
the election of state officers and presidential electors. In
the early morning of that day the bell was heard to ring,
and the people who came out to see what was the mat-
ter found on the common, in front of the town hoilf
nice little log cabin, some three feet square, made of round
sticks of about one inch and a half in diameter, tipped
up on one side to an angle of say thirty degrees, and be-
neath a figure 4 arrangement like a rat trap. On the end
of the spindle was a miniature eider barrel, on which was
written, "A trap to catch Whig votes." During the fore-
noon Charles Leverett, a young clerk in Mr. Snow's store,
wrote on a sheet of paper in large letters, "To let after
the fourth of March," and pasted it on the log cabin,
which remained on the common all day, and was the
occasion of much fun and some hard jokes.
During the nntuinn of 1MI1 and Llic winter ami spring
following there were numerous temperance meetings held
in the town hall. Amid the tumult and excitement of the
phenomenal political campaign of 1840, in the city of
Baltimore was being developed in a quiet, unobtrusive
way, a movement destined in two years to sweep the
country with a revolution in the temperance cause more
astounding than the political change which carried the
Whigs into power. Six men in Chase's tavern in Balti-
more, where they were accustomed to meet for tippling
and carousal, suddenly determined to quit their drinking.
They wrote out and signed a pledge to abstain from all
intoxicants, and organized under the name of the Washing-
tonian Temperance Society. In a short time they had in-
creased to one hundred members, and during the year to
one thousand. New York heard of the movement in Bal-
timore and asked for a delegation to come and work in
that city, which was done with very great success. On
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall.
71
leaving New York this band of six Baltimoreans divided
into pairs— two going south and two going we»t, while
John II. Hawkins and his companion came on to Boston
to work the held in New England. Old Marlboro ch
was made their headquarters, and meetings were held
daily and drunkards were brought daily in large nun,;
to sign the pledge. Every evening new converts were on
hand to relate their experiences, and in a few weeks the
public sentiment of Boston was changed.
In September, 184-1, Mr. Hawkins came to Fitchburg.
On the afternoon of his arrival the Fusiliers were on pa-
rade, and Mr. Hawkins gave them an invitation to come
to his meeting in the C. C. church in the evening, which
they accepted and were present, occupying the body of
the house. Mr. Hawkins' fame had preceded him, and
the church was crowded. He had remarkable powers of
persuasion, and his style of weaving together humor and
pathos was very effective. But it was in relating his ex-
perience as a drunkard, in depicting the resistless force of
appetite, that his great heart manifested in voice and emo-
tion his yearning love for the "poor, unfortunate drunk-
ard." This latter was a phrase which he repeated time
and again in every address. This was a new kind of talk
for that class of people wdio had heretofore been consid-
ered castaways, to be blamed and not pitied. Sympathy
was a new element in the work of reforming the drunk-
ard, and its success was marvelous.
A Washingtonian pledge was prepared and offered for
signatures at the desk. This obtained but few signatures
that night, but the next day quite a number of hard
drinkers placed their names to it. A Fitchburg Washing-
tonian Total Abstinence Society was soon organized. I
think at a meeting called for that purpose in the town
hall. Jeduthan M. Gibbs was elected president, and Seth
B. Hall secretary. They established headquarters, with a
reading room, in a building which stood where The Phoe-
nix now is ; but their public meetings were held in the
town hall and were generally addressed by reformed men
from Boston and other places, who sometimes related very
thrilling experiences. But few speeches were made by
Fitchburg men, though I remember on two occasions lis-
72
R
emrniscenccs of tlic Old Tuwu Hall.
tening to Seth B. Hall and William C. Elleck. Commit-
tees in every school district were appointed to circulate
the pledge, and some six hundred names of men were i
secured. The women very zealously supplemented the work
by organizing a Martha Washington Total Abstinence
ciety, which had a large membership. So wonderful was
the success of the new movement in changing public sen-
timent and in winning signers to the pledge that the old
laborers for temperance felt that the millennium for their
cause had arrived, and surrendered their work into the
hands of the Washingtonians and went into other lines
of philanthropy— largely into the anti-slavery movement.
W. C. Elleck, who succeeded Seth B. Hall as secretary,
became the editor of a new paper which was established
as the organ of the society by the name of The Cold
Water Cup, but which went out of existence in less than
a year for lack of support. As the novelty and excite-
ment gradually wore away, zeal lagged, and the larger
part of the reformed men went back to their cups; but I
believe that most of the men who were moderate or occa-
sional drinkers, who took the pledge during that temper-
ance revival, kept it faithfully during life.
In the spring of 1842 a Liberty Party association was
formed at a meeting in the town hall, by Rev. Hiram
( ' ummiiij'H, who had previously j'ivru niltlrcHHCN in I lie
llnphsl, Metlioilisl and C C. chinches. Tills WHS a licv>
movement for the anti-slavery cause, making political
action its main work, and antagonizing, in this respect,
Mr. Garrison's views, who utterly ignored politics and
pronounced the constitution a "covenant with death and
an agreement with hell." Mr. Cummings in his lectures
set forth the facts and principles which seemed to call for
the formation of an anti-slavery political party. He went
into the economics of the slave system, showing it to be
an impoverishing institution. Wealth and prosperity, he
said, are the result of labor, and especially of skilled labor,
which the North had, and which was here respected, while
the South regarded labor as degrading; hence her laborers
were ignorant and unskilled. Almost every one in the
North was in a sense a producer, while less than one-half
of the South could be said to be such. The result was
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall.
73
that the South fell behind financially every year, and it
was customary for the planters to mortgage their crops
one year ahead, to provide the means to (any on their
plantations, besides buying all they could of northern mer-
chants on credit, and settling every few years by pa;
fifty cents on a dollar. He held that the law of econom-
ics was that when any part of a community or a nation
became non-self-supporting the deficit had in some way to
be made up by the prosperous portion; that the South,
by superior skill in political management and having ample
leisure for such study, had continued to control the gov-
ernment and to fill the important offices of the nation.
She had furnished presidents for ten terms out of the four-
teen since the adoption of the constitution, and the rem-
edy was to build up a party that should make the ques-
tion of freedom paramount, just as the South put the
interests of slavery foremost.
This view of the question met the approval of many
who had heretofore been indifferent to the cause of the
slave, or who disapproved of the views and principles of
Mr. Garrison. The Liberty party increased in numbers
and soon held the balance of power, so as to prevent the
election of a representative by either of the other two
parties, the majority rule being in force; so that, in order
to secure a representative from Fitchburg, these parties
were obliged to unite, sending a Whig one year with the
help of Democratic votes, and a Democrat the next by
the aid of the Whigs. Mr. Cummings had announced
that when the party should grow to such numbers as to
hold the balance of power, the smaller of the two old
parties would wheel into line with the Liberty party, to
bring defeat to their ancient enemy. Now this result was
contrary to Cummings's prediction, but it showed that
the new party was a force which must be taken into
account on election days. However, Mr. Cummings's pre-
diction was fulfilled when, in 1850, the Free Soilers and
Democrats united and made George S. Boutwell governor.
and put Charles Sumner into the Senate of the United
States.
In November or December of 1843 a Lyceum was
formed for lectures and the discussion of questions oi gen-
74
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall
eral interest. Since the death of the old Philosophical
Society Fitehburg had been without such an institut
and the people were generally interested to attend. Tin-
meetings were held in the town hall during the winter.
Of the list of officers I remember none hut Rev. Mr. Lin-
coln as president, and Abel Thurston vice-president. The
disputants were appointed in alphabetical order. My
name being among the B's, I came into the first debate,
with a medical student for my coadjutor, and for oppo-
nents another medical student and a surgeon dentist. I
do not remember the question for discussion, but 1 know
it involved the permanency of our republican form of gov-
ernment. On the night of the meeting the hall was well
filled, and I was anxious as to my personal fate, being
fearful of a breakdown, as it was my first attempt to
face an audience in debate. One thing, however, gave me
hope and braced me up. A friend, boarding with the gen-
tleman—my opponent— who was to open the discussion,
and whom I was to follow, acquainted himself with the
line of argument the gentleman had proposed for himself,
and informed me. My opponent's opening justified the
truth of my friend's information, and when I arose it
was with more confidence than might otherwise have
been the case, and I closed with the feeling that I had at
least made one or two good points. But the next morn-
ing I felt far less satisfied with myself, when my friends
called around to congratulate me on the success of my
maiden speech, for I knew they were praising me for spe-
cial abilities which I did not possess. My emotions were
very like- those of a man who was conscious of having
obtained goods under false pretenses.
Upon the occasion of my next appearance in debate
the subject for discussion was capital punishment— " Ought
Capital Punishment to be Abolished?" Rev. Mr. Bullard
and myself were appointed on the negative of the ques-
tion, and a young man— one of Mr. Ballard's church mem-
bers— was appointed on the affirmative and opened the
debate. In his attempt to anticipate the scriptural argu-
ment which he presumed his pastor would pursue, he
commented on the severity of the penalties attached to
the violation of the old Jewish laws, and characterized
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall
75
them as a Draconian code. When the reverend gentl
came to make his argument he took occasion to call the
young man to account for his irreverence toward* the
Holy Scriptures, and gave him quite a " spanking." It
was but natural that his pastor should consider it his
duty to rebuke his young church member for the sin of
irreverence, but I was surprised to see how obsequiously
he took his punishment. As for myself, although mv as-
signment was in contravention of my convictions, I, lor
the time being, relegated my personal beliefs to oblivion
and tried to the best of my abilities to get the prisoner
hung. In this lyceum and in others which followed in the
town hall for seven or eight years, I believe I always ac-
cepted every assignment made for me, and did my best to
make plausible that side of the question. I remember
very well that on one occasion, when the disputant who
was to follow me failed to put in an appearance, and some
difficulty arose in filling the vacancy, I was finally ap-
pointed my own opponent. I accepted the appointment,
and proceeded forthwith to annihilate myself by tearing
to pieces my own argument, which I had so laboriously
constructed, and with fair success,— showing how much
easier it is to tear down than to build up.
My first acquaintance with Dr. Charles Robinson was
at one of our lyceum meetings in the town hall. The
question up for discussion was one involving the consti-
tutionality of slavery. During the evening the doctor par-
ticipated in the debate, taking, according to the best of
my recollection, the Garrisonian view of the question, for
I think he was naturally inclined to prefer that side of any
question which would draw out the most opposition. I
remember that Ivers Phillips raised a point of order
against the doctor, that his remarks were not germane to
the question. Some of us that evening caught a partial
revealment of Mr. Robinson's leading characteristics, cool-
ness, courage and sagacity, which distinguished him in
after years on larger fields and amid tragic scenes.
I remember but few of the lectures delivered before
those lyceums. I believe Charles Sumner's lecture on the
"Law of Progress," and Wendell Phillips' lecture on "The
Lost Arts," were lyceum lectures. Rev. E. II. Sears also
7G
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall
gave a lecture, and for home talent we had Charles Cum-
mings on the Crusades and J. R. Rollins on the "Advan-
tages of Knowledge." Some of the active members were
Dr. T. S. Blood, Rev. F. W. Bullard, Milton Whitney,
William B. Towne, Charles Shepley, Goldsmith P. Bailey,
Charles Robinson, David H. Alerriam, C. H. Mcrriam,
W. F. Stone, Goodwin Wood, E. C. 'fainter, Solomon ftar-
field, Amasa Norcross, Henry Farwell, Charles Cumtnings,
John Andrews, Rev. Elnathan Davis, James F. Stiles, Rohy
R. Saffbrd, Ward B. Farrar, W. H. II. Hinds, Alfred R.
Ordway, L. G. Fessenden.
I am sure that these lyceum discussions were quite an
educational force in the community in training young
men to think and to speak, and they were a good school
in which to develop spry thinking and ready expression.
Young lawyers, especially, readily improved the opportu-
nity, and did much to make the debates interesting. Among
the young men who graduated from our little training
school, two became members of Congress, one governor of
Kansas, and one a prominent lawyer of Baltimore. Md.
Among all the debating associates of those early days,
I know of but three or four who are now alive. Mr. Gar-
field has the records of two debating clubs. One was a
private affair, with meetings in the school-house on School
street, during the winter of 1844--4-5; the other also began
as a private club, with meetings held in a building where
The Phoenix now stands, in a room then occupied by Ste-
phen Holman for a private school. The club was formed
curly in lHlf>, and its beginning seemed auspicious; but
soon its- attendance fell off and the disputants shirked
their appointments; so, after considering numerous de-
vices to secure better attendance, among which was the
proposition to fine the members for non-attendance, the
club decided to drop the private feature and make its ex-
ercises public. It thenceforth held its meetings in the town
hall, with invitation to all the people of the town to at.
tend and participate in the discussions. This was a suc-
cessful move and secured a general good attendance
throughout the winter.
I was a member of both these clubs, and on looking
over the names which appear on the records I find quite
R
emini scene cs of t lie Old Town Hall
::
I
a number of whom my memory gives me no trace— and
yet I must have known them well at the time- showing
that personal memory, however valuable, has its In.
Among our debaters was one, W. p. Stone, a ear;,
ter by trade, who came from Groton and, as I was told,
had just passed through an experience in Millerism, advo-
cating its claims. He was one of our best speakers. Mil-
ton Whitney was, for fine debating qualities and graceful
delivery, one of our very best. He had alertness and logi-
cal instinct to seize on the important points, and to hold
on to them with tenacity; and, although of a nervous
temperament, he had coolness and poise. I am told that
he obtained eminence at the Baltimore bar. He read law
in the office of Wood & Torrey, and my brother Gold-
smith came into the same office as a student during the
last half of Mr. Whitney's studentship. I made a general
acquaintance with him upon his coming to Fitcbbure.
He was a pleasant companion, gentlemanly and very
bright. Though I was not an intimate associate, our
relations were always very friendly. Our convictions on
the political and reformatory questions of the day were
antagonistic— the movement for the ten-hour law beim:
the exception— though I think we must have made our
conjunction on that issue by different roads. I belonged
to the radical side of all these questions, and he to the
conservative side, and we sometimes engaged in the pas-
time of exchanging views. I well remember how we once
held an improvised lyceum on the sidewalk upon the tem-
perance question. He had tenacity, and I had zeal and
stubbornness, and, although the attendance was small,
the discussion was interesting. But these little antago-
nisms never lessened our friendly relations. Indeed, I think
he rather liked me all the better for it.
The people of Ashburnham, the native town of Mr.
Whitney, had become favorably impressed with his youth-
ful talents and were interested in his success. Soon after
his admission to the bar, and his location in an office in
the Old City, he had a case in Ashburnham to try. with
Nathaniel Wood, Esq., as opposing counsel (the man ot
whom he had learned his profession). The whole town
78 Reminiscences of t lie Old Town Hall.
was astir with the deepest interest to be present at the
legal tournament, and the wager ran high in faTOf of
Ashburnham's favorite son. The room in which the trial
was held was crowded, and Whitney was am hi turns to
show his native townsmen the best that was in him. At
a place in his argument where lie had scored a good point,
an old farmer leaned forward to a neighbor in a seat in
front, and in a very loud whisper broke out: "Mr. Wood
has raised up a lawyer in Fitehburg who will scratch his
eyes out."
Mr. Whitney had fine social feelings which contributed
largely to his popularity, and, from what I have heard of
his boyhood, he must have been possessed of a good deal
of filial affection. Family ties with him were strong. I
recall to mind very vividly the last time I ever saw him.
It was near the close of his life. He had come on from
Baltimore to spend a little time amid the scenes of his
early life. It was in the bookstore in the Fitehburg Sav-
ings Bank Block, where we happened to meet. Disease
had already made sad inroads in his physical system,
and I remember well how he pulled up his coat sleeve, to
show me his wrist, so attenuated that it seemed that an
infant's hand might encircle it. He told me of his bereave-
ment, in the loss of his son, whom he so loved and idolized;
how he was broken down by sorrow, and how he yearned
with all a father's heart to know the where and the con-
dition of the boy ; how he was induced to interview a lady
spiritualistic medium, and that he believed he had com-
munication with the departed. He told me of the sweet
peace which flowed into his mind as he became assured
of the realities of the immortal life, and that it was well
with his boy. As I took my leave and looked once more
on his attenuated form, I felt somewhat as though I was
standing by his open grave.
The following story was related to me by Benjamin
Snow, Jr.:
"In the primal years of the nineteenth century Leom-
inster had a debating society. The question for discussion
at one of its meetings was, "Which town possesses the
most politeness, Leominster or Fitehburg?" and Fitch-
Reminiscences of the Old Town Hall,
1'.)
burg was invited to participate. P>y the rules of the BO-
ciety the president was required at the close of the debate
to review the arguments and announce his decision. At
the close of this discussion the president made this deliv-
erance: "Gentlemen of the Lyceum, it appears from the
debate that the two towns started with the same amount
of politeness, and further, that Leominster has used hers
and Fitehburg has not, consequently, Pitchburg has the
most left."
REV. JOHN PAYSON, FITCHBURG'S FIRS'
MINISTER.
Read at a meeting of the Society, February 17, tftOG.
BY JAMES F. I). GARFIELD.
Previous to the incorporation of the town of Fitch-
burg its territory was included in the limits of Lunen-
burg; and to the centre of Lunenburg the scattered in-
habitants of this section went to transact the town busi-
ness. There, Sabbath after Sabbath, with a regularity
unknown to the present generation, they congregated for
public worship; and thither they carried their dead for
burial, over roads at best mere cart paths— or, more prop-
erly, bridle paths— for the saddle and the pillion served in
the place of vehicles, on ordinary occasions, and slowly,
on horseback or on foot, they made their way, through
brook and stream, over hill and through valley, along
the rough and often dangerous ways.
When, in 1757 the inhabitants of this westerly part
of Lunenburg sought to become a separate town, as a
remedy for the inconveniences of (heir situation, I In- cust-
< 1 1 v portion pillowed (i ilcr'iilril iippoiiil inn , Iml nl l<n;-ili,
in 17<>l, tliey gave their assent, the western section was
set off, and the name of John Fitch, at the head of the
petition to the General Court for an act of incorporation,
perhaps suggested a name for the new town. The terri-
tory thus erected into a town contained about two hun-
dred and fifty inhabitants, numbering some forty-three or
forty-four families, widely scattered over these hills and
valleys. According to Torrey, but a single house had at
this time been erected in wdiat was afterwards known as
the "Old City," and in all the rest of the valley where after-
wards the houses became so thickly clustered there was
not a house to be seen; and he adds: "The winds which
Rev. y<thn Pay sou, Fitchbnrgfs hirst Mi
Ulster.
-I
swept down through the valley of the Nashua sighed
through the pines which here formed a dense forest."
In 1764, the year of the incorporation of the town,
the inhabitants voted to have preaching for six weeks!
The services were held in the tavern of Samuel Hunt, on
what is now Pearl street. The preacher was Rev. Peter
Whitney, afterwards for many years the minister of North-
borough. These meetings, so far as we know, were the
first religious services ever held in the town.
In 17G6 the town voted to build a meeting-house. It
was an humble edifice, small in size and severely plain in
its architecture. It was several years in building— in fact,
it is said never to have been thoroughly finished. It was
built at odd jobs, as the resources of the people would
allow. First the frame was raised and covered with
boards; after a time a floor was laid and the outside fin-
ished; windows were later supplied, or, as the record
says, the house was "glassed" and finally colored, which
being interpreted means, it was painted yellow. A pulpit
was erected "for the minister to preach in," galleries were
built with stairs leading to them, the pew ground was
"dignified," and the house "seated." This meeting-house
was built on a lot given by Capt. Thomas Cowdin, was
located on what is now Crescent street, and was always
unsightly, and always uncomfortable; but the people
built according to their means, being few in number and
of resources slender; for with them pay as you go was
the only practical way.
With a meeting-house in sight, the next thing was to
secure a minister. In May, 1767, the town voted to ob-
serve a day of fasting and prayer, to ask the divine guid-
ance in giving some one a call to settle in the gospel min-
istry. A call was first given to Rev. Samuel Angier, who
declined the invitation to settle.* In November of the
* Samuel Angier, son of Rev. John Angier of Braintree, and grand-
son of Rev. Samuel Angier of Rehoboth and Watertown, was born in
Bridgewater 1723, graduate of Harvard University 1763, He was set.
tied as colleague with his father at Bridgewater, 1767, and was sole
pastor there after the death of his father (17S7) until his death. Janu-
ary 18, 1805. He married Judith Smith, a daughter oi Rev. Josiah
Smith of Pembroke. No children.
82
Rev. John Payson, Fitchburgs First Minister.
same year Rev. John Payson was given a call, and be
consented to become their pastor. Mr. Payson, born Jan-
uary 6, 1746, was a son of Rev. Phillips Payson, ol \V;d-
pole, Mass., and a younger brother of Rev. Samuel Pay-
Son, the much lamented minister of Lunenburg, who had
died several years previously, alter a brief pastorate ot
less than six months. The town now had a meeting-
house and a pastor-elect.
On the 7th of January, 17GS, a church was organized
and the Cambridge Platform was adopted as the rule of
church discipline. On the 27th of the same month Mr.
Payson was ordained. As to the articles of faith and
covenant of the church, the record is silent; but the Syn-
od which framed the Cambridge Platform unanimously
recommended the Westminster Confession of Faith to the
churches, as the rule of their faith; and it is fair to pre-
sume that the Westminster Confession and Catechism fairly
represented the religious sentiments of the first minister
and the first church of Fitchburg. That Mr. Payson was
a Calvinist, of the strictest sort, there can be no question.
The sermon at his ordination was preached by his
brother, Rev. Phillips Payson, pastor of the church in
Chelsea. The sermon was printed, and this Society has
the good fortune to own a copy (the only one of which
we have any knowledge), which was very appropriately
presented as the first donation to the Society's collections.
Perhaps I shall be pardoned for quoting an extract or
two. Near the close of the sermon, addressing himself to
the candidate, he says :
"No business or concern in life is so momentous as the pastoral
care; no profession or order of men bound by such sacred and solemn
ties. * * * With a mind deeply impressed with the importance of the
thing, let me particularly address myself to you, my dear brother, that
are now entering into this sacred and important office. * In
preaching the gospel labor to do it by manifestation of the truth, com-
mending yourself to every man's conscience in the sight ot God. Let
purity of doctrine and fervency of address distinguish your preaching.
And as to the more intricate doctrines of revelation you will endeavor
to preserve them pure in the words of inspiration; and never set up
your own reason above Scripture, nor your own sentiments as a stand-
ard for others; but as far as your influence may extend, endeavor to
cultivate a candid and charitable spirit.
Rev. y&hn Pay son, Fitchburg's bust Minis
hr.
-
"In your faithful care of souls, never forget your own, but 1,.,
as well as preach, the gospel. Never suiter your fancy to lly away with
your reason; nor your humour, interest or passion to blind or bribe
your conscience.
"Sensible of your own mortality, you will be quickened to imp]
every talent, every moment of time. Nor can I forbear here minding
you and myself of our own dear brother deceased, that in this view is
a most solemn monitor to us both. His untimely death being by thi*
occasion brought fresh to mind, we are now led by the feeling! of hu-
manity to drop a tender tear into his moldered urn; should your time
for labor be no longer than his!— but I forbear. 1 most heartily, mv
dear brother, wish you every good; but wishes seem to be too slender
tokens of the affection of my mind; I therefore, with mv whole soul
commend you to him who can bless you and make you a blessing, keep
you from falling, and finally present you faultless before the presence of
his glory with exceeding joy."
Then addressing himself to the people:
"Beloved of this church and society, suffer me to recommend to vour
remembrance what you have been hearing of the importance of the
ministry; * * and should my brother be faithful among you, you will
never withhold your friendship from him; and always esteem his repu-
tation too sacred to sacrifice to common fame or your own humours.
* * * The comfort of his life, and the success of his ministry under
God, lay much with you. You may easily harass his mind, and involve
yourselves in broils, and give Satan an advantage against you, which
he will readily improve to your ruin. But we hope better things. Vour
peace and harmony will always be your beauty and strength."
Mr. Payson was settled on a salary of £60; and it
is related that in the stormy times of the Revolution,
though his salary was always promptly paid, yet owing
to the depreciation of the currency and its worthlessness
as a circulating medium, he was reduced to a destitute
condition. In March, 177S, a subscription paper was
passed among the inhabitants, that they might contrib-
ute of "the necessaries of life anything that they pleased"
for his support ; in acknowledgment of which he expressed
himself well satisfied witli what the town had done. In
1780 the town voted to pay him eleven thousand dollars
(of course in the depreciated currency) to make up the
loss which he had already' sustained.
Rev. John Payson married in Lynn, Mass., November
18, 1772, Anna Perkins. She was a daughter oi William
and Sarah (Stearns) Perkins and was born in Lynn. Sep-
tember 29, 1742. She died in Fitehburg April 8, 1802.
They had four children, John, William, Anna and Sarah.
84
Rev. John Payson, Fitchburgs First Minister.
Torrey's history, in a notice of Rev. Mr. ['a/son, says
he was "a man o( respectable talents, of a peaceful de-
position, and of devoted piety. Me was fortunate in hav-
ing secured, for a long period, the love and respect of his
people. Fond of the peaceful walks of his profession, he-
knew but little of the affairs of the world, and was ill
calculated to sustain its buffets. The latter yens of his
ministry were embittered by the inroads made among his
people by the Methodists, Baptists and Universalis^. " So
early as 1787, seventeen "professed Baptists" were ex-
empted by the town from paying any tax toward the
support of Mr. Payson, on the ground that they had
preaching among themselves. "These circumstances, to-
gether with a constitutional infirmity of mind, caused a
great depression of spirits, which finally settled in con-
firmed insanity. * * * Yet he continued to preach for
several years. He would go through with the public ser-
vices on the Sabbath with perfect propriety, when fre-
quently there did not occur another lucid interval during
the week." One who remembered him during the last
years of his ministry related that he would sometimes
enter the pulpit, and then, as if conscious of his mental
infirmity, would apologize to his people for not being in
condition to preach — and then descend to the deacons'
seats in front of the pulpit, and there go on with the
services.
"Ilifi iiiliimilv iut'i'emviiig upon him, in I In ulliniiici ■<!
171)3, both the church and town united in calling a coun-
cil to take into consideration their ecclesiastical affairs."
After a ministry of twenty-six years, in May, 1704-, Mr.
Payson was regularly dismissed. He continued to reside
in Pitchburg, but still the victim of insanity, until May
21, 1804-, when he died by his own hand, in the fifty-ninth
year of his age. His death occurred in Leominster, at the
residence of his brother-in-law, while there on a visit.
His remains repose in the old cemetery on South street,
where a large horizontal slab bearing an elaborate inscrip-
tion in Latin was erected to his memory.
It is not known that any sermon or other literary
effort of Rev. Mr. Payson has been preserved in print;
but during the past month a manuscript sermon in his
A PAGE OF REV. JOHN PAYSON'S MANUSCRIPT.
[Sec patfc Kf», sixtli Hue from bottom.]
Rev. John Payson, Fitchburgs First Minister.
-
peculiar hand-writing has come to light, and through the
courtesy of Mr. E. B. Rockwood we have been permitted
to make a copy of it. It has seemed worth the while to
puzzle over the almost indecipherable manuscript, to be
able to get a glimpse of the kind of preaching under
which the forefathers and mothers of this hamlet sat in
the days when all were expected to attend divine service-
regularly, or be disciplined for neglect of duty.
This sermon is dated September S, 17<SG, and must
have been preached at the little meeting-house on the hill,
between Blossom and Mt. Vernon streets. The closely-
written pages, covering the paper to the very edge, in-
dicate a careful economy in the use of writing material.
During the period of Mr. Payson's ministry there were
very few paper mills in the country; and the process of
manufacture being entirely by hand, paper was a some-
what expensive commodity. A brief extract may serve to
show something of the style and character of Mr. Pay-
son's work.
"This is an argument that has often been used to prove the divinity
of Christ— that all those works which the Supreme God only can do a re-
attributed to him in the Word of God. * * * The evangelist from
whom is our text, said, in the first chapter, that all things were made
by Christ, and without him was not anything made that was made.
* * * I might also show you that the preservation and government
of the world are, in sacred writ, ascribed to Jesus Christ. It is therein
said that by him all things consist, and that he is King of Kings and
Lord of Lords, and as none can do these works but God — almighty in
power and infinite in knowledge — their being attributed to Christ proves
that he has the divine nature. * * * And, surely, never did the natu-
ral son of an earthly parent resemble him more than our Lord Jesus—
as his character is drawn in the Evangelists— does the God of Nature ;
for, does the Supreme God appear from the works of nature to be a be-
ing of infinite knowledge and wisdom, and did not our Lord Jesus in
his conduct and conversation in the world appear to be possessed of
such a divine wisdom? * * * And how much like that adorable Being
who said, 'Let there be light and there was light,' does our Lord Jesus
appear, when he said to the leper, 'I will— be thou clean,' and immedi-
ately his leprosy departed from him ! And when he said to the tempest-
uous winds and seas, 'Peace, be still;' and suddenly there was a great
calm? What a complete resemblance of our beneficent Creator was he
who went about doing good! How like him who maketh his sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust, was he who cried on the cross concerning them that persecuted
him— ' Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!'
86
Rev. yohn Pay son, Fitchburg s First Ministe
In 1786, when this sermon was written, Fitchbtirg
had increased from a population of two hundred and fifty
to probably not far from a thousand inhabitants. Toi
gives a description of the village as it appeared at this
time. He says :
"A traveler approaching from the east or south would first behold
the tavern of Thomas Cowdin. Upon the hill to the northwest might
be seen a small, yellow, and rather mean-looking meeting-house. In
front would appear the red store of Joseph Fox, Esq , and in the rear
of that his dwelling house, with large, projecting eaves. The mills and
dwelling house of Dea. Ephraim Kimball were just below, and over the
bridge were two houses more. Casting his eyes up the hill he would sec
the house of Rev. Mr. Payson [later known as the Dea. Samuel liurnap
place]. This was all that could be seen, and all that then constituted
the village of Fitchburg. Thence proceeding westward over a crooked
and rough road the traveler would next see the house built by David
Gibson [about where the city hall now stands], and opposite to that
Mr. Gibson's baker's shop. He would then come on to the present com-
mon. Here his sight would be greeted by small, stunted pine trees, and
such bushes as grow upon the poorest land. A straggling log fence here
and there might serve to diversify the scene."
Such, in 1786, when the sermon was written from
which we have read, was the forbidding aspect of what
is now the busy and thriving city of Fitchburg.
Four of the sons of Rev. Emillips Payson of Walpole
were ministers. The eldest, Rev. Phillips Payson, Jr., was
a distinguished minister of Chelsea, Mass., a graduate ot
Harvard, 1754, and received from that institution the
degree of Doctor of Divinity. Rev. Samuel Payson, a
graduate of Harvard, 1758, ordained over I lie elinreh ill
Lunenburg, 1702, died February M, 1 7<i.'l, ul tin- iigc «.i
twenty-four, after a ministry of less than six months.
Rev. John Payson, born January G, 1746, graduated at
Harvard, 1764, became the first minister of Fitchburg,
and Rev. Seth Payson, the youngest and only son by a
second marriage, graduated at Harvard, 1777, was or-
dained at Rindge, N. IF, in 1782, (and received the degree
of D. D. from Dartmouth college in 1809. He died Feb-
ruary, 1820, after a ministry of thirty-seven years. Both
father and sons, says Stearns in his History of Rindge.
are reported to have been able ministers and excellent men.
Eminently successful in their profession, they evinced a
lively interest and exerted a great influence in civil affairs.
EARLY FAMILIES OF FITCHBURG.
Read at a meeting of the Society, April 'JO, 1908.
BY EZRA SCOELAY STEARNS, A. M.
Among the many valuable papers which have been
read before the Fitchburg Historical Society and printed
in the volumes of proceedings-, is an admirable paper by
Mr. Henry A. Willis, entitled "The Birth of Fitchburg."
In the biographies of the men and the record of the fam-
ilies living here at the date of incorporation, we find
evidence of intelligent research and a liberal knowledge of
the founders of Fitchburg. I have read the article many
times, and always with a constant appreciation of its
merit and its value to present and future students of local
history.
Of the Goodrich, Kimball, Putnam, Lowe, Gibson and
other families who, through succeeding generations, have
been potent factors in the development o( Fitchburg, Mr.
Willis has written at considerable length. It is the prov-
ince of this paper to present additional record of several
of the residents in 1764 of whom our present knowledge
is more limited.
Mr. Torrey, in "stating the place of residence of each
family living in the town when it was incorporated."
gives a list of forty-three names. Of these Air. Willis
omits Charles Willard and Phineas Goodell, and adds to
Mr. Torrey's list the names of John Fitch, Joseph Lowe,
John Buss, John Buss, Jr., Nathaniel Walker and William
Flagg. These amendments by Mr. Willis are sustained by
the evidence of the records. Leaving for some other occa-
sion the discussion of any additional amendments to the
list of men living in this town in 1764-, I will attempt to
give some added information of a few of the founders of
Fitchburg.
88
Early Families of Fitchburg,
Isaiah Witt married in Marlborough, MaMacbnsetl
February 28, 1748, Deborah Stewart, a daughter of Dan-
iel and Persis (Witt) Stewart. She was born in Marl-
borough February 18, 1727. They moved to Lunenburg
about 1753 and settled on Pearl Hill, where James Ed-
ward Putnam now resides. There he lived until 1 TT.'i ,
when he sold the farm and buildings to Daniel Putnam.
He died probably in Westmoreland, New Hampshire, where
his sons had settled, but a record of his death has es-
caped inquiry.
The Cunningham genealogies of Lunenburg families
state that he died before 17G7, and that his widow mar-
ried Ebenezer Harrington. It was a daughter, and not
his widow, who became the wife of Ebenezer Harrington.
Isaiah Witt was chosen a warden in 1705, selectman in
1767, constable in 1771, and was appointed on several
committees in the conduct of town affairs. As a constable
in 1771 he personally warned three town meetings, and
in the year 1772 he contracted with the town to sup-
port one of the poor of Fitchburg.
They had six children: —
I. Martha, born Marlborough, August 30, 1750, mar-
ried in Fitchburg, November 2G, 1767, Ebenezer Harring-
ton, born in Lexington March 16, 1743, son of Richard
Harrington. He was first taxed in this town in 1765.
He was a soldier in the Revolution from Fitehlmi \\, mifl
I hey lived line until I /.HO, when liny removed l»> \\\ M
morelancl. Four children were born in this town.
II. Artemas, born Marlborough, August 30, 1750, lived
in Fitchburg until 1773, when he removed to Westmore-
land. He served in the Revolution from Westmoreland.
Soon after he removed to Chesterfield, where he died April
26, 1823, leaving a widow and five children.
III. Persis, born Lunenburg, now Fitchburg, Septem-
1755.
Moses, born August 19, 1759, lived in Westmore-
ber 21,
IV.
land.
V.
VI.
Infant, baptized June 6, probably died young.
Levi, baptized Fitchburg, April 16, 1769.
Early Families of Fitch!) my.
-'•
Joseph Spofford, a son of Jonathan and Jemima
(Freethe) Spofford, was born in Rowley, Massachuft
July 13, 1720. He was a brother of John and Jonah
Spofford, who lived for a season in Lunenburg. He came
to this town about 1750, and remained here nearly thirty
years. To the excellent sketch by Mr. Willis of the I
and of his homestead, nothing can be added. A lew ad-
ditional items of his family follow. He married in Boxford,
September 3, 1745, Sarah Eames, who became the mother
of two children. She died about the time of his removal
to this town, but a record of her death is not found.
He married second, 1757, Mary Marble of Stow. About
1780 he removed to Weathersfield, Vermont, where he died
March 13, 1803. His wife, Mary, died June 25, 1801.
Six children:
I. Hannah, born Rowley, 1746.
II. Mary, born Rowley, June 29, 1747.
III. John, born Lunenburg, February 19, 1758, lived
at Weathersfield, Vermont. He died about 1803, leaving
a family.
IV. Sarah, born Lunenburg, June 25, 1761. Married
Asa Grout, born February 3, 1753, a son of Hilkiah and
grandson of John Grout of Lunenburg. In his infancy
Asa Grout, with others of the family, was captured by
the Indians and taken to Canada. After his marriage he-
lived in Weathersfield, Vt.
V. Judah, born in Lunenburg, August 25, 1762, mar-
ried Elihu Grout, born February 17, 1700, a brother of
Asa Grout who married her sister Sarah.
VI. Joseph, born in Fitchburg, April 4, 1770, married
Rachel Wright, and lived in Weathersfield, where he died
May 24, 1831.
Thomas Dutton, a son of Thomas and Hannah (Burge)
Dutton, was born in Billerica, August 2S, 1713. He mar-
ried May 10, 1737, Mary Hill, and settled in Westford.
He removed to Lunenburg about 1744. His wife, Mary,
died about 1755. He married second Sarah Fitch, born
in Boston, May 8, 1731, a daughter of Joseph and Mar-
garet (Clark) Fitch. She was a sister of the wife of William
Downe, Esq. He removed in 1766 to Rockingham, Vt..
90
Early Families of Fitchburg.
and died probably in Grafton, Vt. Mr. Willis locate! nil
residence on the lawn of the Normal School and presentl
a record of eight children. There were three older children
who were born before the family removed to this town.
I. Mary, born Billerica, December 14, 1737, married
May 8, 1755, Henry Ilodgkins, and settler! in Winehendon.
She died soon and he married second, November 17, 1702,
Jemima Ball, and lived, several years at least, in or near
Walpole, N. H.
II. Silas, born Westford, 1789, married March 3,
1763, Sarah Whitney, a daughter of Zaehariah and Sarah
(Boynton) Whitney of Lunenburg. He removed with his
father to Rockingham.
III. Sarah, born Westford, 1741.
Robert Wares, a son of Ephraim and Hannah (Her-
ring) Wares, was born in Dedham, Massachusetts, April 28,
1699. He was one of the numerous family of Ware, but
he and a few of his immediate relatives wrote the name
Wares. He married in Boston, December 22, 1727, Dorothy
Parker. To the record of marriage is added, "both of
Needham. " They settled in Needham and there lived about
thirty years, and there seven children were born. lie re-
moved to the part of Lunenburg which was included in
Fitchburg about 1760. He lived on the Wanoosnoc Road.
Mr. Willis has given full information of the location. When
Fitchburg was incorporated, he was I he oldesl man in llic
I mvvii, (Hid 1 1 in tif-M r m Hon I In ■ a i It • • 1 1 1 iiiilil ill y on vU*c. I ••
1761 he deeded a parcel ul land Lo his son Robert, and in
1766 another parcel to his daughter Mary. The latest
deed of land was to his son Jonathan, in 1769. He died
in 1780. His wife survived him. Their children were:
I. Dorothy, born September 7, 1729, died October S,
1729.
II. Mary, born January 8, 1731. She was not married.
Beginning in 1790 she was supported by the town several
years. She died in this town December 15, 1817.
III. Robert, born August 27, 1733. He resided in this
town only a few years. Before the Revolution he settled
in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, where he died March S.
1814, leaving a family.
Early Families of Fitehburg.
"1
IV. Sarah, born November 17, L736. She married
May 27, 17G0, Nathaniel Kingsbury. They did not I
to Fitehburg.
V. Jonathan, born August 4, 1738. He lived in this
town many years and probably died here. He was a sol-
dier in the Revolution, and held minor town office. He
married April 11, 1769, Hannah Battles. Six children were
born in Fitehburg. His daughter Lydia and hi
Jonathan and David were not married. His daughter
Hannah married John Battles. His son Samuel married
Abigail Bailey, and lived in Leominster. His son James
married Rachel Wood. He lived in Fitehburg and in Leo-
minster.
VI. Lydia, born September 9, 1742. She married De-
cember 26, 1765, Jeremiah Gay, Jr. In the record of mar-
riage she was of Fitehburg and he of Need ham. I have
not found a record of his death, but in 1770 she returned
to Fitehburg bringing a daughter Beulah, who was born
January 4, 1768. The daughter Beulah married July 9,
1789, Edward Hammond, a prominent and wealthy man
of Natick. They were the parents of the noted fifer, John
Hammond, of Framingham, whom the military men of a
former generation were delighted to honor.
VII. Moses, born February 13, 1747. He was first
taxed in Fitehburg, 1768.
Nicholas Danforth, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth
(Hosley) Danforth, was born in Billerica, December 8, 1734-.
He married March 30, 1758, Elizabeth Jaquith, born in
Billerica, February 26, 1740, a daughter of Abraham and
Hannah (Farley) Jaquith. She was a sister of the wife oi"
Paul Fitch and of Abraham Jaquith, who lived several
years in this town. Nicholas Danforth removed to Fiteh-
burg in 1763. Mr. Willis has given an excellent account
of this man to which reference is made. A few additional
facts are added. About 1780 he removed to Hartland, Vt..
where he was living in 1790. Later he removed to Still-
water, New York, where he died about 1810. His widow
died four or five years later. They had eleven children.
His sons Samuel and James were soldiers in the Revolution.
enlisting at Fitehburg. Their son Isaac remained in Fitch.
92
Early Families of Fitchburgt
burg a few years after the removal of the family. He
married Rebeeca Taylor. Me died at Hoosick, New York.
John Buss, a son of John and Hannah (Hosmer) Bum,
was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, April 2, 1712. 1
find no record of his marriage. I lis wife, Eunice, and
possibly she was Eunice Wood, a daughter of John and
Lucy (Lee) Wood, born in Concord, Massachusetts, March
8, 1712. He removed from Lancaster to Lunenburg in
1742 or 1743. He was a surveyor of highways in 1744,
school committee 1749, selectman 1754, and was appointed
on many town committees in Lunenburg. In the French
and Indian war he was an ensign, in 1761, in Col. Joseph
Wilder's regiment. When Fitehburg was incorporated Ins
homestead was included, and he continued to render the
services of a good citizen. His frequent election as a fire-
warden suggests that he lived at some distance from the
central part of the town, and there is evidence that his
homestead was beyond the Stewart farms and in the
southwest part of the town. He was not permitted to
advise or serve in the Revolution. He died April 6, 1775.
Nine children:
I. Eunice, born Lancaster, January 19, 1738-9, died
February 13, 1738-9.
II. John, born Lancaster, January 3, 1739-40. ( See-
forward. )
III /,» j ih mi inh, I I ,iiii< -muI « i , I »« i • -in In i "<'•, 1711 II-
cnlihUil lioni Lunenburg in l\\c spiing * * i 1<.>'j in Col.
Oliver Wilder's regiment and died in the service.
IV. Stephen, born Lunenburg, March 8, 1743-4. He
settled in Wilton, New Hampshire, where he died October
16, 1816. He married Phebe Keyes, daughter of John and
Abigail (Livermore) Keyes. Among their descendants are
Sally (Buss) Harwood, wife of Kilburn Harwood, late of
this city, and the Honorable George A. Marden, of the
Lowell Courier, and a former Speaker of the House ot
Representatives.
V. Silas, born Lunenburg, May 27, 1746, lived in
Wilton. His descendants are numerous.
VI. Eunice, born Lunenburg, September 27, 1748.
VII. Aaron, born Lunenburg, March 27, 1751.
Early Families of Fitchburg,
VIII. Milliccnt, born Lunenburg, August 22, 1753,
IX. Jonathan, born Lunenburg, December 30, 17;V;.
John Buss, Jr., a son of John and Eunice Buss, was
born in Lancaster, January 3, 1739-40. In his childhood
his parents removed to Lunenburg, now Fitchburg. He
married in Fitchburg, January 1, 1767, Mary Wood, 21
daughter of David and Mary (Hovey) Wood. He was a
soldier from Fitchburg in the Revolution, and in 1780, or
within one year of that date, he removed from Fitchburg
to Marlborough, New Hampshire. Five children were bom
in Fitchburg and three in Marlborough.
I. Zephaniah, born October 20, 17G7.
II. John, born May 6, 1770.
III. Silas, born January 20, 1773.
IV. David, born February 30, (sic) 177r>.
V. Daniel, born March 30, 1778.
VI. Mary, born July 27, 1781.
VII. Pamelia, born June 30, 1788.
VIII. Eunice, born November 30, 1790.
John White, a son of Josiah Jr. and Abigail (Whit-
comb) White, was born in Lancaster, April 10, 1729. He
was a descendant in the fourth generation of John White
of Wenham and Lancaster, the generations being John4,
Josiah8, Josiah'2, John1. His father, Josiah White, Jr., deeded
him the farm located bv Mr. Willis, N
ovemoer
3. l
married in Lunenburg, February 22, 1753, Mary Whitney,
born September 28, 1728, a daughter of Moses and Eliza-
beth Whitney and a sister of Ephraim Whitney who married
Jane Bancroft. He lived a useful citizen in Fitchburg until
1773, when he sold his farm and removed to Canaan,
Maine. He died January 20, 1815. His wife, Mary, died
September 15, 1793. Six children.
I. Lydia, born March 5, 1755, married December 9,
1776, Edward Hartwell. They lived in Lunenburg until
1780, when they removed to Canaan, Maine. Thirteen
children and very many descendants. He died March 30,
1844. She died April 21, 1837.
II. Betty, born March 19, 1757, married April 14,
1774, Dea. Ephraim Kimball, born February 15, 1752, son
94 Early Families of Fitehburg.
of Ephraim and Mary (Wetherbee) Kimball. Ik- livid in
Fitehburg. He was an able, useful man. He died May <i,
1825; she died July 26, 1844. They had fourteen children.
Their descendants bearing ninny names are numerous and
are rilling honorable stations in Massaehusetts, Maim- and
New Hampshire.
III. Salmon, born June 5, 1759. Died.
IV. Salmon, born April 3, 1761, married Nancy
Springer. He lived in Canaan, Maine. He was a captain.
He died April 21, 1837. His widow died October 6, 1845.
Eight children. Among their descendants are several min-
isters of good repute.
V. Mary, born September 17, 1763, married Samuel
Weston, and lived in Canaan, where she died January 26,
1741. Thirteen children. Their grandson, Abner Coburn,
was governor of Maine, 1862.
VI. John, born Fitehburg, May 15, 1706, lived in Ca-
naan. He married Mary Fowler, who died October 8, 1841.
He died April 20, 1858. Eight children. Several of their
descendants married descendants of the Stewart families
who removed from Fitehburg to Canaan.
Ezra Whitney, a son of John and Rebecca (Whitney)
Whitney, was born in Shirley, August 24, 1731. He removed
to Fitehburg about 1758, or six years before the date
of incorporation. In 1761 his father gave him a deed of
a tract of land containing sixty-six acres, described by Mr.
Willis as opposite the estate of Dr. Jahrz Fisher. II*.- w;i>i
the first occupant of the premises, and here he built a farm
house and converted many acres of wild and forest land
into a productive farm. In 1764 he was chosen a fire
warden. July 29, 1766, he deeded the farm to Jacob Puffer,
then of Templeton, but subsequently of Fitehburg. The
deed conveyed a mansion house and sixty-six acres ot up-
land and meadow. Soon after the sale of his farm he
removed to Rockingham, Vermont, where he lived many
years. In 1790 he was living in Athens, Vermont. He
married Agnes Ross, and they had seven or more children.
Two were born in Shirley, and the names are illegible.
Two or more were born in Fitehburg. The three youngest
RaHy Families of Fitchburg, 96
were baptized at Rockingham, September 1, 1776, which
was soon after the organization of a church in that tov n
!• > born Shirley < May 16, 1750.
H- , born Shirley, December IS, 1757,
^ III. Ezra, born in Fitchburg, November 29, 1700. Ib-
lived in Rockingham, Vermont.
IV. Rebecca, born Fitchburg, January 2, 1702.
V. Moses.
VI. Agnes.
VII. Lucretia.
The Whitney Genealogy erroneously states that Lzra
Whitney, son of Dea. James and Martha (Rice) Whitney,
married Agnes Ross and lived a short time in Fitchburg.
Ephraim Osborn, a son of Ephraim and Elizabeth
(Ireland) Osborn, was born in Charlestown, Massachu-
setts, September 24, 1731. His mother was a sister of
Lieutenant Abraham Ireland of Lunenburg. In the French
and Indian war he was a soldier from Lunenburg, 1757,
in Capt. Thomas Wilder's company, and in Capt. James
Reed's company. In the Revolution he served one or more
enlistments. For a record of his marriage, the names of
his children, and the location of his homestead, see the
article by Mr. Willis.
Stewart. Of the two families of this name who were
early residents of Lunenburg, only one has been repre-
sented in Fitchburg. William Stewart (or Stuart), who
married in Lunenburg, Nov. 10, 1736, Margaret Saunder-
son, removed about 1750 from Lunenburg to Peterbor-
ough, New Hampshire, where he died March 15, 1753.
One son was slain in the French and Indian war, and
three sons lived and died in Peterborough.
Solomon Stewart (or Steward) came to Lunenburg in
1737. It has been stated, and quite generally accepted,
that Solomon and William were brothers, and that both
were Scotch-Irish immigrants to this country. Mr. George
S. Stewart, an accomplished genealogist and a descendant
of this Lunenburg family, has established the record be-
yond dispute that Solomon Stewart was of the third
9G
Early Families of Fitchburg
American generation and not a relative of William Stewart
of Lunenburg and Peterborough.
Solomon Stewart, a son of James and a grandson of
Duncan Stewart of Newbury and Rowley, was born in
Rowley, July 24, 1698. He married at Andover, June 28,
1727, Martha Farrington, born 1702, a daughter of Ed-
ward and Martha (Brown) Farrington of Andover. He
lived in the part of ancient Salem now Peabody until
1737, when he removed to Lunenburg, where lie died
February 28, 1758. His wife died November 1, 1777.
He was an honest, intelligent man, and was esteemed by
his townsmen. Five children were born before his removal
and three were born in Lunenburg. Of these five were
residents of Fitchburg.
I. Benjamin, born January 2G, 1728, married Januarv
9, 1751-2, Rebecca Taylor. He lived in Lunenburg and
there died February 26, 1815. Two children.
II. Solomon, born January 14, 1730. See Mr. Willis's
article.
II. Phineas, born March 27, 1732. See Mr. Willis's
article.
III. Daniel, born November 21, 1734, married March
14, 1757, Mary Ireland, born 1739, a daughter of Lieu-
tenant Abraham and Ann (Bird) Ireland. He lived in
Lunenburg and later in Fitchburg, where he died June 2,
1802. He did not remove to this town in season to be
considered in an account of the families of Fitchburg nt
(lie dale of incorporation. Ivighl eh i Id rem
V. William, born March 14, 1737. See beyond.
VI. James, baptized Lunenburg, August 19, 1739.
Died young.
VII. Mary, born Lunenburg, September 7, 1740, mar-
ried Samuel Pierce, which see beyond.
VIII. Jacob, born in Lunenburg, April 22, 1743. He
was baptized April 17, 1743. One date is wrong. It is
probable that the town record of birth should be April 2,
1743. He was a resident of Fitchburg and was taxed
here in 1764. He was evidently omitted in the list of
residents by Mr. Torrey and Mr. Willis because he was
not the head of a family, but he soon qualified for the
dignity and honor of domestic rule. He married November
Early Families of Fitchburg.
W
18, 17G6, Elizabeth Pierce, born March 25, 1748, a daugh-
ter of Ephraim and Esther (Shedd) Pierce of Lunenburg.
He lived in this town several years, and returned to Lun-
enburg, and later removed to Claremont, New Hampshire,
where his wife died June 14, 1792. He was a soldier in
the Revolution, enlisting at Lunenburg. They had six or
more children.
William Stewart, son of Solomon and Martha
(Farrington) Stewart, was born in Salem, now Pea body,
Massachusetts, March 14, 1737. In his infancy his parents
removed to Lunenburg. He married July 25, 1758, Abigail
Ireland, born March 8, 1740-1, a daughter of Lieutenant
Abraham and Ann (Bird) Ireland, of Lunenburg. About
four years before Lunenburg was divided he settled in the
west part of the town now Fitchburg and here lived until
1780 when, in company with his brothers Solomon and
Phineas, he removed from Fitchburg to Canaan, Maine.
For the location of his homestead and the names of his
children, see the record of Mr. Willis. This William, son of
Solomon Stewart, sometimes had been confused with
William, son of William Stewart of Peterborough. William
Stewart, Jr., of Peterborough, died in 1771, while William
Stewart of Fitchburg is named in our records until 1780.
Charles Willard, a son of Joseph and Elizabeth
(Tarbell) Willard, was born in Harvard, Massachusetts,
August 30, 1734. He married in Stoneham, Massachusetts,
in December, 1762, Sarah Seollay, a daughter of Grover and
Ann Seollay. In the record of marriage he is styled Charles
Willard of Harvard. In the French and Indian War he
served in 1757 in a company of troopers. He is included
in the list of residents by Torrey and not included by Willis.
He became a permanent resident of Fitchburg during the
year 1764, but was not here on the day of incorporation
of the town. He was first taxed in 1765. On several
occasions he was elected to office and was one of the school
committee in 1784. He was one of the early Baptists of
this town and was excused from paying taxes for the support
of Rev. John Payson. Charles and Sarah (Seollay) Willard
had five children :
08
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Early Families of Fitchburg.
Sarah, born March 26, 1701.
John, born March 2 4, 1766.
Joseph, born February 15, 1768.
Anne, born November 21, 1770.
Josiah, born September 1, 1 773.
John Scott was a Scotch-Irish emigrant who came
to Lunenburg about 1732 and here lived until his death
in 1756. lie was born in the north of Ireland, 1702. He
married in Boston, March 21, 1721), Lydia Thwing. She
was born July 20, 1706, and died in Fitchburg, August 26,
1792. In the company of Capt. James \iw\ in Col. Timothy
Ruggles's regiment in 1756 there were twenty men from
Lunenburg, and of these John Scott, Jonas Tarbell, Thomas
Brown and John Harriman were killed in action or died
of disease. On the company roll the four men are marked,
"dead." His will, dated June 7, 174-5, was probated De-
cember 20, 1756. In the will mention is made of his wife
Lydia and children Abraham, Edward, Mary, Benjamin,
David and Jonathan. His daughter Elizabeth was born after
the will was written. His homestead was later owned and
occupied by his son Edward and the location is clearly defined
by Mr. Willis. John Scott died nearly eight years before
Fitchburg was incorporated. lie was one of the first settlers
in this town. Eight children.
I. John, born in Boston, October 1 3, 1 730. Died young.
II. Abraham, no record of his liirtli e> found
111. Edward, born in Lunenburg, May 21, 1734. See-
the notice by Mr. Willis. Elizabeth, his first wife, died Aug.
ust 15, 1780. He married, second, October 22, 1781, Mary
(Whitney) Gibbs, born May 29, 1744, daughter of Samuel
and Abigail (Fletcher) Whitney and widow of Elijah Gibbs,
all of Westminster.
IV. Mary, born Lunenburg, March 23, 1736.
V. Benjamin, born Lunenburg, April 21, 1739.
VI. David, born Lunenburg, April 1, 174-2.
VII. Jonathan, born Lunenburg, October 1, 1744.
VIII. Elizabeth, born Lunenburg, August 3, 1747.
Thomas Demary, who was introduced by Mr. Torrey
in his list of residents in 176-1, has been a puzzle many
Early Families of Fitchburg*
99
years to the students of local history. The name of
Thomas Demary is not found in the records of Lunenburg
or Fitchburg, nor as a grantee or grantor of any real
estate in this vicinity. There was a John Demary who
lived a few years in the part of Lunenburg now Fitehburg,
and who lived exactly where Torrey has located Thomas
Demary. It is evident that Mr. Torrey was confused con-
cerning the Christian name, and that we must accept John
Demary as a temporary resident here and excuse Thomas
Demary from further service.
John Demary, a son of Thomas and Hannah (New-
comb) Demary, was born in Boston, about 172S. He
married in Wilmington, May 24-, 1750, Rebecca Corneille,
born June 7, 1728, a daughter of Feter and Rebecca Cor-
neille of Billerica and Wilmington. Both were of French
ancestry, and were of the third generation of their fami-
lies in America. At the date of his marriage John Demary
and his wife settled in Fitchburg, then a part of Lunen-
burg. He lived on the old Lunenburg road, east of the
Jesse French homestead, and not far west of the present
town line. They were admitted to the church in Lunen-
burg by letter from the church in Billerica, September 1,
1751. He removed to Rindge, New Hampshire, in 1763,
a few months before Fitchburg was incorporated, but he
did not sell his homestead until May 7, 1704, when he
deeded the premises to Jonathan Holt, whom Mr. Willis
locates in the same locality. For additional record, see
History of Rindge.
Fiiineas Goodale (or Goodell), named in the Torrey
list of residents, was a son of Benjamin and Hannah
Goodale, and was born in Marlborough, Mass., May 1,
1713. He married, 1733, Rebecca Bruce of Woburn. In
1754 he served in Captain Melvin's company of the Shirley
Expedition. He inarched from Concord, Mass., May 30.
1754. He was taxed 1764, and disappears from our
records.
The earliest tax list of Fitchburg, the list of 1764,
contains the names of fourteen persons not included in the
Torrey or in the Willis exhibit. Some oi these were young
100
Early Families of Fitchbnrg
unmarried men who did not occupy a homestead and with-
out doubt were intelligently and purposely omitted. Two
or more were living in the corner of Pitchburg which in
17G7 was included in Ashby, and a few were temporary
residents who were here only one or two years. The names
of the fourteen are :
1. Jonathan Wakes. See notice of family of Robert
Wares.
2. Jacob Stewart. See family of Solomon Stewart in
this article.
3. Thaddeus Harrington, born in Lexington, Sep-
tember 9, 1736, a son of Richard and Abigail Harrington,
married in Lunenburg, April 6, 1758, Thankful Podge,
born July 6, 1736, a daughter of Noah and Margaret
Dodge. He lived in Fitchburg before and a short time
after the town was severed from Lunenburg. lie removed
to Shirley and was a soldier from that town in the Rev-
olution. He was a brother of Ebenezer Harrington, who
married Martha Witt, a daughter of Isaiah Witt.
4. Samuel Saunderson, a son of Abraham and Patience
(Smith) Saunderson of Lunenburg, was born April 26,173 1.
He married in Lunenburg, December 27, 1759, Sarah Gould,
born April 6, 1735, a daughter of Jacob and Dorothy
(Goodrich) Gould. He was here in 1761, but did not long
remain here.
5. Paul Fitch, a son of John and Susannah (Gates)
Pitch, was born in Lunenburg, January 4-, 1711-2. He-
was living with his father and was taxed in Fitchburg,
1764. He was one of the five children of John Fitch who
suffered captivity in 1748. He married in Billerica, July D,
1767, Mary Jaquith, born Billerica, June 26, 1747, a
daughter of Abraham and Hannah (Farley) Jaquith. She
was a sister of the wife of Nicholas Danforth and of Abra-
ham and Benjamin Jaquith, at one time residents of Fitch-
burg. Paul Fitch lived in Fitchburg 1764 to 1767 and in
Ashby until 1770, when he removed to Lancaster. In 1775
he removed to Rindge and later lived in Peterborough,
Jaffrey and Marlborough. He was a soldier from Rindge
in the Revolution. His wife died in Jaffrey, February IS,
Early Families of Fitchburg,
101
1800. He married second, January 7, 1802, Joanna (\'\
Walker, born in Concord, Massachusetts, May 15, 174
a daughter of Ebenezer and Joanna (Townscnd) Pierce
and widow of Samuel Walker ofRindge. He died in Marl-
borough, May 2, 1818, Paul and Mary Fitch had ni
children.
ne
G. Thomas Stearns, a son of Samuel and Sarah
(Burnap) Stearns, was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, De-
cember 22, 1717. He married in Lynn, November 4, 1740,
Lydia Mansfield, born Lynn, January 4, 1718, a daughter
of Daniel and Joanna (Burrage) Mansfield. He lived in
Lynn until 1744, when he removed to Lunenburg. He was
taxed in Fitchburg, 1764. His homestead was within
the limits of this town. Not many years alter 1704, he
removed to Leominster, where he died February 5, 1811.
His wife died February 26, 1791. Two children who died
young were born in Lynn. The births of seven other
children are recorded in Lunenburg, and to these add Tim-
othy, born April 4, 1759, and Anna, born April 25, 1762.
He was a soldier in the French and Indian War.
In the limits of this paper we cannot speak of his nu-
merous descendants, and mention is made of only one of
his sons.
Rev. Charles Stearns, born here July 19, 1753, graduat-
ed at Harvard University in the class of 1773. He was
ordained and installed over the church in Lincoln, Mas-
sachusetts, November 7, 1781. He was a fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and joined with
his ministerial labor he conducted the famous classical
school of Lincoln. He received from Harvard the degree
of D. D. in IS 10. He preached his last sermon only a few-
days before his death. He died July 26, 1S26. Some
member of our societ}' will find ample material in his life-
work and ready inspiration in his ability and character
for a sketch of this brilliant son of Fitchburg.
7. Ephraijvi Gibson, a son of Abraham and Mary
(Wheeler) Gibson, was born in Stow, June 21, 1740. He
married, 1761, Lucy Wyman, born in Lunenburg, Decem-
ber 15, 1741, a daughter of Ezekiel and Abigail (Wyman)
Wyman. At the time of his marriage he settled in Lunen-
8
102
Early Families of Fitchburg,
burg. His homestead was near the residence of John Pitch
and in the part of Lunenburg which was included in
Fitchburg, and in 1767 included in Ashby. He died in
Ashby about 1725; his widow died April 18, 1829. They
had no children.
From the incorporation of Fitchburg until the incor-
poration of Ashby, he was a married man residing in this
town. Torrey did not include John Fitch and Ephratm
Gibson, whose estates were severed from Fitchburg and
included in Ashby in 1767.
8. Stephen Gibson, a son of Stephen and Sarah (Gos
Gibson, was born in Stow, March 29, 174-5. He married
Aprill 15, 1766, Rebecca Puffer. He was taxed in Fitch-
burg, 1764, and lived here until the incorporation of Ashby.
He was a member of the church of Fitchburg several years.
Mr. Gibson embraced the Baptist faith and became a
preacher. His connection with the church in Fitchburg
was dissolved in 1783. He frequently preached in school-
houses and last in the meeting-house which was in Fitch-
burg, but near the line of Ashby. He died February \\,
1812. His wife was a daughter of Capt. Jabez and Hannah
(Treadway) Puffer of Sudbury. She was born February
21, 1748, died October 7, 1815. Dr. Stillman Gibson of
New Ipswich, was their son and the wife of Charles II .
Brown, senior, is their great-granddaughter.
[). Abraham Fakwi:i,l, n son ol'Snuitirl ami Ivli/.aln-lli
(Moors) Furwell, was born in GroLoii, August 18, 1/1.5.
He was taxed in Fitchburg, 17(3 1. He was a soldier in Capt.
Kbenezer Bridge's company, 1775, school committee and
highway surveyor from 1777 to 1790. He was an esteemed
and competent citizen. He married in 1770, intentions
recorded July 14, 1770, Priscilla Thurston, a daughter of
Dea. John and Hepsibah (Burpee) Thurston. She died De-
cember 30, 1837. Eight children. The record of their birth
is found in the printed records of Fitchburg.
10. Geokge Hewitt (commonly written Huit) was a
roving character. He was among the first settlers ot
Rindge, and lived there 1752-1761. He married in Lunen-
burg, October 2, 1700, Tryphena Hodgkins and removed in
176-1 to Fitchburg. George Huit, wife Tryphena and child-
Early Families of Fitchbure
10:
ren Sarah and Eunice were warned by the constable of
Fitchburg, November 5, 1764. Later he lived in Asliby.
11. Samuel Foster, of B oxford, married in Peppcrell
November 24, 1748, Jane Boynton, horn May 13, 1722, a
daughter of Daniel and Jemima (Brown) Boynton ofGroton.
lie was taxed in 1764.
12. William Hodgkins, was here at the date of the
incorporation of the town. He removed to New Ipswich,
and his tax for 1767 was abated. He married in New
Ipswich, Elizabeth (Foster) Fletcher, born 1741, a daugh-
ter of Abijah Foster and widow of John Fletcher. He died
1804; she died February 27, 1800. Six children.
13. William Cox was taxed 1704, and he was elected
to a minor town office 1767.
14. Joseph Harper was taxed 1764, and is not named
again in the records of Fitchburg.
Any record of the founders of Fitchburg is not complete
without notice of William Downe, the foremost man of his
time. He died before the incorporation of the town, but
his conspicuous service has been renewed in the ability and
character of his sons and his descendants to the present
day.
William Downe, a son of William and Sarah ( Dan-
fort h) Downe, was born in Boston, May 16, 1719, He grad-
uated at Harvard University in the class of 173S. He
married in Boston, March 12, 1740, Margaret Fitch, born in
Boston March 14, 1722-3, a daughter of Joseph and Mar-
garet (Clark) Fitch. She was a sister of the second wife of
Thomas Dutton. After his marriage he lived in Boston a
few years, a short time in Cambridge, and removed to this
town in 1745 or 1746. He lived in the part of Lunenburg
now Fitchburg. His house was on or very near the site
of the present American House. He was one of the most
prominent and capable men of his time and was frequently
employed in town affairs. He was a selectman of Lunen-
burg 1752 and 1755, town clerk 1753 and 1754, and the
clerk of the proprietors of Rindge, New Hampshire. He
was a magistrate and one of the Justices of the County
Court of Sessions. He solemnized several marriages. He
104
Early Families of Fitchburg
died May 6, 1759, or nearly five years before the incorpo-
ration of Fitchburg. He was buried with his kindred in
the Granary burial ground at Boston. By birth and by
marriage he was connected with prominent familic
Boston. His father was Colonel William Downe, born 1686
who was the commander of a regiment of Colonial Militia
and commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery
Company of Boston. He died in Boston, June 3, 1753.
EARLY REAL ESTATE OWNERS IN
FITCHBURG.
Read at a meeting of the Society, February Id, 1903.
BY HARRISON BAILEY, ESQ.
If each owner of real estate situated in that portion
of the city on the north side of the river that extends
along the river from near the end of Prichard street to
Phillips brook, West Fitchburg, and as far back on the
hills to the northeast and north as Simonds street, Arling-
ton street, and Westminster Hill road, should trace his
title back to 1773, all would find a common grantor in
Elias Haskell. This is also true of a large tract of land
on the south side of the river. In December of that year,
Andrew Oliver of Salem, Mass., conveyed to Mr. Haskell
two tracts of land containing in all 1566 acres, for the
consideration of £775, then equal to about $2500, or
about $1.50 per acre. The first tract, containing 712
acres, is situated south of the river. It apparently in-
cluded Mt. Elam and vicinity. The second tract is the
one above referred to, situated on the north side of the
river, and contained 854 acres.
The description of the boundaries begins "at stake
and stones and bunch of Wish hazel near Steward's Mills
and near the Meeting house." The meeting-house was
then on or near what is now Crescent street, and Stew-
ard's mills on or near Mill street, for I find a conveyance
in 1777 from Solomon Steward to William Brown of a
one-half interest in the grist mill and saw mill and mill
yard, which was subsequently conveyed to Joseph Fox.
The bunch of "Wish hazel," however, must have been
about where the dam in the river now is, just above the
lumber-yard of the Webber Lumber Co. There were no
buildings nearer to the point of beginning in any direction
than the meeting-house and Steward's mills. In those
10G
Early Real Estate Owners hi Fitchburg
days, landmarks in the shape of buildings were few and
far apart, and apparently, anything within a half mile of
the meeting-house was called "nigh."
Now, applying the lines given in the deed to present
landmarks, the boundary lines run about as follows, viz.:
From the hazel bush easterly to about the outlet of Punch
brook at Cowdin's land; thence northerly on Cowdin land
to about Adams street; thence easterly to Ml. Vernon
street; thence up Mt. Vernon street to Simonds street, all
these lines being on Cowdin's land; thence westerly, on
land then of Joseph Lowe, following the general direction
of Simonds street, and passing about one hundred feet
northerly of Arlington street on land then of Edward
Hartwell, crossing Ashburnham Hill road below the junc-
tion with Williams road, and keeping above Westminster
Hill road, running on land then of Thurston and land
then of Sawyer, to Phillips brook, crossing the brook
above Greene & Sneddon's ice pond, and returning to the
river; thence down the river, making a short cut across
the bend from near Parkhill Mill C, and meeting the river
again near Parkhill Mill A, and thence to point of beginning.
Mr. Haskell also owned at this time 271 acres in the
north part of the town including Dean Hill, which was
conveyed to him by the same Andrew Oliver, February
24, 1771, and which he subsequently sold to Jacob Upton
on March 28, 1777, making in all 1800 acres of land in
Fitchburg that he owned in December, 1773.
This was nearly ten years after the town was incor-
porated, and yet, this large tract of land, 850 acres, ex-
tending right along the river on this side, including what
is now the heart of the city, appears to have been with-
out a dwelling-house thereon, covered with a heavy growth
of pitch-pine trees, and unimproved, except by the high-
way to Ashburnham, which was in about the present
course of Main street, Prospect street and Flat Rock road.
It does not appear to have been taxed until 1767, when
Mr. Oliver, a non-resident, then the owner of the land,
was taxed 3 pounds, 19 shillings and 8 pence.
The farms were then located back upon the hills, where
the farmers felt more secure against the attacks both ot
Jack Frost and Indians.
Early Real Estate Owners in Fitchburg. 107
The Nashua river was regarded by the inbabitai
a pestiferous little stream, that cadi year washed ;■■
its bridges and made an annual expense to the town in
repairing them, and they had no use for it. Indeed, at
the time the town was set off from Lunenburg, the oppo-
nents of the project prophesied that the new town would
not prosper financially because of making and repairing
bridges.
Mr. Haskell came to Fitchburg from Harvard, where
he kept a store in the village of Still River. This store
was sold by him to John Monroe in 1773, and very likely
the proceeds of that sale were invested in fitchburg land,
as it was in December, 1773, that he purchased of Andrew
Oliver. Within a few years thereafter, Mr. Haskell had
disposed of all or nearly all of the land by cutting it up
into sections and selling it at an advanced price for farms.
Nevertheless, it proved an unprofitable transaction, owing
to the rapid depreciation of the currency then in use.
Mr. Torrey, in his history of Fitchburg, says: "Mr.
Haskell, by selling lots and loaning his money, was re-
puted to be very rich; but he was doomed to experience
a reverse of fortune. Pie was compelled to receive his pay
in the pernicious paper currency of the time, which depre-
ciated so rapidly that it soon came to be but little better
than so much brown paper. He afterwards purchased a
small, sandy farm in the northwesterly part of Lancaster,
wdiere he lived some years, and died in poverty."
Mr. Andrew Oliver, Mr. Haskell's predecessor in title
to all this land, lived in Salem. He was known as Judge
Oliver, being a judge of the Essex County Court, and was
a man of some note, being one of the founders of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His father, Hon.
Andrew Oliver, was a noted man, having served as secre-
tary of the province and as lieutenant governor. The
charter of the town bears his signature as secretary. He
was prominently associated with Governor Hutchinson in
the enforcement of the Stamp Act, being the agent ap-
pointed to enforce the same. Such was his unpopularity,
due to the character of his office rather than that of the
man, that he was burned in effigy by an excited people,
108
Early Real Estate Owners in Fitchbun
and in later years his remains were followed to the grave
by a threatening and noisy rabble.
The mother of Judge Oliver was Mary Fitch, daughter
of Col. Thomas Fitch, of Boston, who was married to
Hon. Andrew Oliver, June 20, 1728, and it was by the
will of his grandfather, Thomas Pitch, that his grandson,
Judge Oliver, acquired title to the three large traets of
land conveyed by him to Mr. Haskell.
Thomas Fitch, born in Boston, February 5, 1008, was
a wealthy merchant of that city, and prominent in public
affairs, having served as selectman, as representative, mag-
istrate and councillor. He was first cousin to the father
of John Fitch, after whom Fitchburg is reputed to have
been named. He was a large owner of real estate
throughout the province, and at his decease, in 1730, he
left, as part of his estate, over 2000 acres of land in that
part of Lunenburg that was subsequently set off as the
town of Fitchburg. By his will, which is on tile in the
Suffolk County Probate Court, he gave all the residue and
remainder of his estate to his daughter, Mrs. Martha
Allen, and his grandson, who is called in the will "Andrew-
Oliver, alias Thomas Fitch Oliver."
The real estate included in the residue given by his
will was divided by commissioners appointed by the supe-
rior court, and they set off to "Andrew Oliver, alias
Thomas Fitch Oliver," all the land in Lunenburg, consist-
ing of 2078 acres, by them appraised at £3000. The
same land was appraised at £2200 in the inventor)' of
the estate filed a year or two previously ; so there was
apparently, during the intervening time, a rise in value of
the real estate or a depreciation of the currency, probably
the latter. This report of the commissioners was not tiled
in the registry of deeds, but is on tile with the probate
papers in the Suffolk County Probate Court. It is dated
November 15, 1738, and signed by Henry Lee, Samuel
Willard, Benjamin Flagg and Daniel Deney, who style
themselves " Dividers."
Mr. Oliver, Jr., was then onl}r seven years old, and
the title to this land remained in his name until he con-
veyed to Mr. Haskell in 1773, with the exception oi a
portion conveyed to Samuel Hunt, June 4, 1750. When
Early Real Estate Owners in Fitchburg*
109
Fitchburg was incorporated in 1764, this large tract of
land of over 2000 acres, being more than one-ninth of the
whole area of the new town, belonged to a grandson of
Thomas Fitch, known as Thomas hitch Oliver, atid verv
likely lor a long time after the deatli of Thomas Pitch,
this land was known as the Fitch estate.
The father of Thomas Fitch Oliver was Andrew Oliver,
at that time secretary of the province, .and brother-in-law
(by his second marriage), to Thomas Hutchinson, then
lieutenant governor and chief justice of the Superior
Court, and we may assume he was a man of influence at
the state house.* It is a matter of record, often referred
to, that within nine days after the town had passed a
vote to apply for the incorporation of the new town the
act had passed the legislature, and received the signature
of the governor. Do not the above facts as to the parties
interested suggest that the Fitch-Oliver interest was a
potent factor in securing such prompt action upon the
petition, and may it not be that the selection of John
Fitch as chairman of the committee to present the peti-
tion to the legislature was because of his relationship to
influential parties who were interested in this project?
And do not the same facts throw a new light on the cpies-
tion — why was the town called Fitchburg?
Most of you are familiar with the discussion of the
question, and know that while it has been the generally
accepted opinion that the town was named after John
Fitch, yet claims have been made in behalf of Zachariah
Fitch and Col. Timothy Fitch; but did you ever know or
hear of Thomas Fitch's name in this connection? It
seems to me that the name of Thomas Fitch and his large
ownership of real estate in Fitchburg have been over-
looked in past discussions, and that this has been the
cause of some misapprehension. Timothy Fitch is men-
tioned by Mr. Torrey in his history of Fitchburg written
in 183G. He therein says: "It is the general report that
the town was named in honor of John Fitch, who was
*The mother of Hon. Andrew Oliver was the sister of Gov. Belcher.
a faet that indicates another potent influence commanded by the Fitch
estate.
110
Early Real Estate Owners in Fitchburg
the first man on the committee appointed to procure the
act of incorporation, and was the same- individual taken
captive by the Indians in 1748. Sonic people think that
the town was named in honor of Col. Timothy Pitch, a
wealthy merchant of Boston, who owned extensive tracts
of land in the town, and was considered in those dai
man of note and distinction." lie then goes on to show
that John Fitch never held any but minor offices in the
gift of the town, and that many in the town were held
in higher esteem, and concludes as follows: "But whether
the town was named in honor of this individual, or the
above named Col. Fitch, is a point which will probably
remain forever in obscurity. This is a circumstance not a
little surprising, when it is considered how recently t he-
town received the name, and that there are people now
jiving who remember the event perfectly well."
There was a Timothy Fitch, a wealthy merchant, liv-
ing in Boston at that time, who later moved to Med ford,
and there died in 171)0, but he docs not appeal- to have
ever livid in or owned any real estafe in 1'iUhlun i;,
whereas Thomas Fitch fills the specification in all partic-
ulars. Therefore, is it not most probable that Mr. Torrcy
made a mistake in name, and that the person intended, if
not by him, at least by those who made the claim, was
Col. Thomas Fitch, instead of Col. Timothy Fitch? If
Fitchburg was named in honor of any particular individ-
ual, certainly a plausible argument can be made in favor
of Thomas Fitch, much more so than in behalf of Zacha-
riah Fitch; but in view of all the facts now known, it
seems to me more probable that the name Fitchburg was
selected, not in honor of any particular person, but rather
as a natural result of the large Fitch interest then in-
volved, and of the public association of the name Fitch
with the location.
John Fitch, chairman of the committee, whose name
had already given some fame to this locality by reason ot
his brave defense of his garrison and his capture by the
Indians, owned a large section of land in the north part
of the town, and the heirs of Thomas Fitch owned a
large part of the central portion of the town, which very
likely had been known for a long time as the Fitch estate
Early Real Estate Owners in Fitc/lburr.
Ill
or Fitch land. From Fitch land to Pitchbnrg wai an
easy transition, and the name Fitchburg was a natural
suggestion, and one which, however suggested, must have
met the ready acceptance of the chairman of the commit.
tee as well as that of the persons whose influence we ns-
sume was an important factor in securing the net of in-
corporation, viz., Judge Thomas Pitch Oliver, his father
Secretary Oliver, and the latter's brother-in-law, Lieuten-
ant Governor Hutchinson. This supposition would ac-
count for the apparent obscurity of this question,— In
whose honor was Fitchburg named ?— even among people
living in 183G, who, as stated by Mr. Torrey, remembered
the event perfectly well.
I have not as yet been able to find a record of all the
conveyances by which Thomas Fitch acquired title to all
of the real estate inventoried as part of his estate, but I
have found five deeds on record conveving in all 1147
acres, viz.:
One from Benjamin Prescott, dated December 23, 1731,
conveying 320 acres.
One from Robert Fyfe, dated December 23, 1731, con-
veying 300 acres.
One from William Jones, dated April 19, 1736, convey-
ing 235 acres.
One from Henry Lee, dated January 14, 1729, convev-
ing 200 acres.
One from Jonathan Willard, dated November 2G, 1734,
conveying 92 acres.
The description in the latter deed is brief, and as it
may be of some peculiar interest because of its quaint
expressions and reference to Rollstone Hill, I will give it
in full. It is as follows, viz.: "A certain tract of land
situate Lying and being in Lunenburg, near to Role Stone
Hill, in the County of Worcester, containing by estima-
tion 92 acres be it more or less butted and bounded as
follows, viz, northerly, easterly and northwesterly on the
land of the Honorable Thomas Fitch aforesaid and south-
easterly on Common land, or however otherwise bounded
or Reputed to be bounded." This description is rather
indefinite and hard to locate, but no more so than many
a deed since written.
112
Early Real Estate Owners in Fitchburg*
I hope, after further search, to be able to complete the
title acquired by Thomas Fitch, and definitely locate nil
of the lands, but in the meantime, I assure you that you
need not be concerned lest the title to the respective lots
of land that may be owned by you shall prove defective.
GENERAL JAMES REED.
Read at a meeting of'the Society, December 18, 1899
BY JAMES F. D. GARFIELD.
In each of the older cemeteries of this city repose the
remains of Revolutionary soldiers, whose graves have,
through the liberality of the president of this society, been
appropriatly marked with the distinguishing symbol of
the Sons of the American Revolution.
In one of these marked graves rest the remains of
General James Reed, the subject of this paper, who died in
Fitchburg, February 13, 1807, and whose place of burial
is near the easterly entrance to Laurel Hill cemetery.
General James Reed was from a distinguished family ;
he was born in Woburn, Mass., January 8, 1722-3, and
was the eighth of the ten children of Thomas and Sarah
(Sawyer) Reed. His father, known as Lieut. Thomas Reed,
died August 18, 1736; his mother died January 21, 1737-8.
Lieut. Thomas Reed wras a son of George and Hannah
(Rockwell) Reed, and a grandson of William Reed, the
immigrant, who with wife Mabel (Kendall), sailed from
London July, 1635, arrived in Boston in October the same
year, and in 1648 settled in Woburn. From the time of
William Reed's settlement there the ancestors of James
Reed were residents of Woburn, and his birth and paren-
tage, as here given, are fully sustained by the records of
that town.*
Very little is known of the youth and early manhood
of James Reed. He married Abigail Hinds of New Salem,
Mass., and first settled in Brookfield in this county. He
afterwards removed to the centre of Lunenburg where he
was an innholder for several years, although by trade he
* In the ''Reed Genealogy" it is asserted that Gen. James Reed was
a son of Joseph and Sarah (Rice) Reed, and was born in Woburn ia
1724. The error has been repeated in several later publications.
H4 General James Reed.
was a tailor. The records at Brookfield and at Lunenburg
show his connection with the church in both of those
places. He was admitted to full communion in the Lu-
nenburg church April 7, 1751, and it is probable thai his
removal from Brookfield was in the early' part of the
same year.
He is described as a man of ordinary height, well
built and very active, care-taking and energetic. That he
was a tailor by trade is shown by his company roll in
which the occupation of each man is given; and that he-
was an innholder at Lunenburg appears from a petition
by the selectmen of that town for a license as innholder
to Joshua Hutchins, "in place of Captain James Reed
who is now going into His Majesty's service." The loca-
tion of his inn was on the westerly side of the common,
the site so many years later occupied for the same pur-
pose.
He remained a resident of Lunenburg till late in 1764
or the early part of 1765, when he moved his family to
Monadnoc No. 4, now Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, lie
was a selectman of Lunenburg in 1763 and 1764. In a
deed dated March 4, 1765, he is styled "of Lunenburg,"
although he had spent some time at Fitzwilliam during
the previous year. He was paid for labor and supervision
in building roads in that town in 1764, — eighty and one-
half days, and for still longer periods during the two fol-
lowing years.
In 1768 he had become the owner of over three thou-
sand acres of land in Fitzwilliam, and had erected a large
and commodious two-stor\r house — the first frame house
erected in the town — with a large barn and stable. The
buildings were located about a mile northwesterly of the
present centre village, and the house was kept by him tor
some years as an inn. Many of the Proprietors' meetings
were held in it, as well as most of the religious services
of the settlers previous to the erection oi the first meet-
ing-house. The ordination of the first minister of Fitz-
william, Rev. Benjamin Brigham, also took place under
its roof. Captain Reed was moderator of the Proprietors'
meeting, November 14, 1769, which was the first meeting
held in the new township; and he was Proprietors' clerk
GEN. JAMES REED.
General James Reed. 1 1 5
from that time till 177G. His name appears as a mem-
ber of all the most important committees that shaped the
action of the people of the new settlement in establishing
their civil and religious institutions.
His military career commenced in 1755, when he served
in a campaign against the French and Indians in the
vicinity of Lake George, in which he commanded a com-
pany of Provincial troops in the regiment under Col. Jo-
siah Brown; and from that time on until the peace of
1762 he was engaged much of the time in the same
service.
In the Massachusetts archives at the state house there-
are many documents which relate to his service. The ear-
liest which I have found bears date September 28, 17.".,
and contains a " List of names of the Men that are to
join the Expedition to Crown Point, in the Regiment
whereof Josiah Brown, Esq., is Colonel, which Company is
under the command of Capt [Timothy Gibson] James
Reed." The name Timothy Gibson in the heading to this
roll is crossed out and that of James Peed written in,—
and this probably marks the date of James Reed's com-
mission as captain. The Timothy Gibson whom he suc-
ceeded in that office was a resident of Stow, Mass., and
was the father of the Fitehburg Gibsons, Isaac and Reu-
ben, who settled on Pearl Hill. The company was com-
posed of forty-two men, all from Stow and Lunenburg.
Among the twelve or fifteen Lunenburg names I recognize
those of several from that part of the town afterwards
set off as the town of Fitehburg, viz.: Edward Scott, Xe-
hemiah Fatter, Phinehas and William Stewart, Bphraim
Osborn and Samuel Peirce. Among the other Lunenburg
names is that of Benoni Wallis, ancestor of Hon. Rodney
Wallace, and also of Robert N. Wallis of this city.
The next paper is an acknowledgment from forty-six
men under Capt. Reed in the expedition to Crown Point
in 1756, as having received their billeting (or subsistence)
to Albany. Among the names are those of William and
Benjamin Scott, Jonathan White, Jonathan White, Jr..
John Cummings, Samuel Hodgkins, Bradstreet Spafford,
John Scott and Manasseh Litch, which appear to be
Fitehburg names.
116
General "James Reed.
Then comes a roll dated Fort Edward, July 2G 1756
containing the names of thirty-three men, of whom sixteen
are from Lunenburg— the others from adjoining or neigh-
boring towns. In this document the occupations of the
men are given ; twenty-one were farmers, two were tailors
(one of whom was Capt. Reed), two were clothiers, three
blacksmiths, two carpenters, one shoemaker, one brick-
layer, and one acknowledged himself to be a laborer.
Twenty-eight of the number volunteered, five were hired,
but none were drafted. The recording officer appears to
have had a way of spelling all his own, and reports one
man, a blacksmith from Townsend, as "Disarted."
Next is a roll dated Fort William Henry, October 11,
1756, numbering forty-five names, in which Captain Reed'
certifies that certain men were absent for no other reasons
than those assigned, viz., siekness, death, etc. Certain en-
tries in this document indicate that the company had been
seeing hard service. Four men— William White, John
Brown, Manasseh Litch and Jonas Tarbell are reported
as dead; and thirteen are reported as sick, or .absent for
other cause.
Next comes a muster roll containing fifty names,— ser-
vice performed from February 18, 1756, to December '2'2
of the same year. Of the fifty men, twenty- three were
from Lunenburg, including the part now Fitchburg.
Thomas Brown, John Harriman and John Scott, three
Lunenburg men, are reported as dead. James Reed, as
captain, made oath to the correctness of the roll.
A muster roll of Capt. Reed's company, containing
sixty-six names of men who marched on an alarm for the
relief of Fort William Henry — return dated January 8,
175S, — contains the names of Ephraim Osborn, Jonathan
Wood, Jonathan Holt, William Steward, Samuel Hodg-
kins and other Fitchburg names.
Next is a roll of Capt. Reed's company, numbering
seventy-eight names, with dates of enlistment from March
13 to May 22, 175S. The company marched on May 22,
and formed a part of Col. Timothy Ruggles' regiment <A
the army under Gen. Abercrombie, in the unfortunate at-
tack on Ticonderoga, then held by the French under Gen.
Alontcalm.
General James Reed.
II
Next, a muster roll of ninety nanus, bearing date
February 13, 1760— of which twenty-nine of the men
were frefm Lunenburg, seven from Leominster, thirty from
Lancaster, seven from Narragansett No. 2, now Westmin-
ster, while Winchendon, Rindge and other places were
represented by smaller numbers. The service was from
March 31 to December 19, 1750 —thirty-seven weeks and
five days.
Finally, a pay-roll of the company in His Majesty's
service, under command of Capt. James Reed, from April
18, 1761, to January 1, 1762— thirty-seven weeks. Among
the names in this roll were those of Samuel and Joseph
Downe, sons of William Downe, Esq., living in the part
of Lunenburg now Fitchburg. Capt. Reed also com-
manded a company in the campaign of the summer of
1762.
These successive rolls show the almost continuous ser-
vice of Capt. Reed through the war from 1755 to 1762,
when peace was declared between the two countries,
France and England, and the hardy settlers could lay
down their implements of warfare and return to their
homes to engage in the arts of peace.
The mention of Col. Timothy Ruggles, of whose regi-
ment Capt. Reed's company formed a part, reminds me
that one of my own ancestors, Samuel Garfield of Spen-
cer, was in the same regiment, though in a different com-
pany. Some old letters written by him while in the ser-
vice have been preserved, and one or two brief extracts
will give just a glimpse of the soldier's life of that day.
On the 10th of June he wrote to his family, dated
"Flat Bush, 6 miles above Albany. We are now arrived
at Hudson's river, and have had a tedious march through
the woods." Under date "Fort Miller 22d of June," lie
writes: "We expect to march immediately forward to the
lake. There are about six thousand men here now, and
provisions enough for fourteen thousand men six weeks,
and a vast quantity more at Fort Edward." Again, un-
der date of "Lake George, July ye 4.
th
hen on the eve of
embarking for the attack on Ticonderoga, he writes to his
wife: "I received your letter dated ye 17th of June yester-
day, and am glad to hear that you are all well. I have
o
118 General "Jaines Reed.
been at work with the carpenters in the Kind's works
ever since the 12th of June, and now our battOCS are all
loaded, and our orders are to embark tor Ticonderoga to-
morrow morning by break of day. I beg your prayers
for me that I may be kept from all Evil, and especially
from Sin, and in God's time be returned in Safety." His
expectation to set sail on the morrow at break of day
was fulfilled. History informs us that on the morning of
July 5, 1758, which was Sunday, Abererombie's whole
army, consisting of nearly sixteen thousand men— nine
thousand of whom were Provincials and the balance Brit-
ish regulars— embarked in bateaux and proceeded down
the lake. Ticonderoga at this time was garrisoned by
about four thousand men under Montcalm, win; had
strengthened his position in anticipation of an attack.
On the morning of the 6th, Abererombie landed his army
at Sabbath Day Point, near the outlet of Lake (k-orge,
and advanced through the dense woods and tangled mo-
rasses towards Ticonderoga. Suddenly his advance guard
was attacked by a scouting party of French, and Lord
Howe, second in command, and the most accomplished
officer of the expedition, fell at the commencement of the
action. The French were, however, repulsed, and Aber-
erombie, confident in the strength of superior numbers,
pushed on to the attack. After an unsuccessful siege of
two days a final effort was made, on the 8th, to scale the
breastworks in the face of the enemy's lire; but, after a
bloody conflict of four hours in a vain attempt to carry
the works, Abererombie fell back on Lake George, leaving
almost two thousand men dead and wounded in the woods
under the guns of the fort, or prisoners in the hands of
the enemy.
Though Abererombie's expedition was a failure, the
campaign of 1758 as a whole was favorable to the Eng-
lish. During the next year Ticonderoga, Crown Point and
Ouebec fell in rapid succession, and the year 1760 saw all
Canada subject to British rule. But little in detail can be
given of Capt. Reed's services in these campaigns; but
that his military career was creditable to himself and val-
uable to his country is indicated by his continuous service
and by the increased number of men who volunteered from
General yames Red.
11)
■
year to year to serve in his command. The old French
wars have been well characterized as a contest between
Protestant England and Catholic France for suprcma
North America. They were, at the same time, the school
in which our fathers acquired that knowledge of military
science, and that experience in the art of war, which en-
abled them to enter upon the Revolutionary struggle and
to prosecute it to a successful termination.
In 1769 Capt. Reed, in a petition for consideration by
the Masonian proprietors and praying that none of his
rights in Fitzwilliam be forfeited, alleges that he has done
much service in the Colonial wars, and appends to his
petition the following table:
1755. Captain in Col. Josiah Brown's regiment.
1756. Captain in Col. Timothy Ruggles' regiment.
1758. Captain in Col. Timothy Ruggles' regiment.
1759. Captain in Col. Timorhy Ruggles' regiment.
17G1. Captain in Col. Timothy Ruggles' regiment.
1755. Commission signed by Lieut. Gov. Spencer I'hipps.
1756. Commission signed by Gov. William Shirley.
1758 and 1759. Commission signed by Gov. Thomas Puwnall.
1761 and 1762. Commission signed by Gov. Francis Bernard.
In the interval of peace between the close of the war
in 1762 and the opening of the Revolution, the military
spirit was not allowed to slumber. It was important that
an efficient organization of militia should be kept up in
the colonies for their mutual protection. In 1770 Capt.
Reed received a commission as lieutenant-colonel from the
governor of the New Hampshire colony, and in 1775,
upon receiving tidings of the battle of Lexington, he at
once raised a company of volunteers and marched with
them to Cambridge. He continued the work of enlisting,
and on the first of June, 1775, was commissioned colonel
of a regiment by the New Hampshire Provincial Assem-
bly. He arrived at Cambridge at the head of his regi-
ment on the 12th of June, and was at first ordered by
Gen. Ward to find quarters at Med ford, where Col. Stark
was already stationed with the First New Hampshire regi-
ment. Unable to find quarters there he again applied to
Gen. Ward, who assigned him quarters in the houses near
Charlestown Neck, with strict orders to keep all necessary
120 General James Re erf.
guards between the barracks, the ferry, and Bunker Hill.
Here he found good quarters, and on the 1 1th issued reg-
imental orders of a stringent character, indicating that
the position was an important one and that vigilance
was necessary for the safety of the command. These or-
ders, and others issued on the loth, are still preserved
among the Revolutionary papers at the state house, and
show him to have been a rigid disciplinarian.
On the 17th of June at the battle of Hunker Hill,
Col. Reed stationed his regiment at the rail fence, at the
left of the redoubt, where he was joined by Col. Stark,
with his New Hampshire regiment still further to the left.
The ready genius of Col. Reed designed the breastwork
which, constructed by his men under lire of the enemy's
batteries, so wonderfully preserved them from the disas-
ters of the day. The parapet consisted in part of a stone
wall, and in part of a double line of rail fence extending
up the hillside from the Mystic river nearly to the re-
doubt, the space between the lines of fence being filled
with hay found on the held.
The position at the rail fence is acknowledged to have
been the hottest as well as the best fought portion of the
held. Bancroft says: "The little handful of brave men"
in the redoubt "would have been effectually cut off but for
the unfaltering courage of the Provincials at the rail fence
and the bank of the Mystic." They had repulsed the
enemy twice, and now held them in check until the main
body had left the hill ; not till then did the brave New
Hampshire soldiers quit the station which they had so
nobly defended. After the redoubt had given way this
heroic band slowly retreated, and Col. Reed was the last
officer who left the field. He returned the number of his
losses in the battle of the 17th as five killed and twenty-
seven wounded.
When Washington assumed command of the army in
July, following the battle of Bunker Hill, Col. Reed with
his regiment was stationed at Winter Hill in Somerville.
From this point a line of earth-works was thrown up ex-
tending through Cambridge to Dorchester. The works on
Cobble Hill (now the site of the McLean Asylum) were
erected by Gen. Putnam of Connecticut, and those on Mil-
General James Reed. 121
ler's Hill in Cambridge were built by Col. Reed. Both
forts were completed in a short time, and each had its
own flag raised above its ramparts. Gen. Putnam'g had
on one side the motto, "An Appeal to Heaven"; and on
the other, three vines, representing the armonial bearings
of the Connecticut Colony. Col. Reed's had on one side,
in dark blue, a picture of Mount Monadnock with a bright
scarlet star just above the mountain; beneath which were
the words, "New Hampshire Strikes for Liberty." On the
other side, near the top, was painted a large trumpet and
sword, and in the centre in large letters:
"Obedience to God,
Justice to All,
Fealty to None."
At this time there was no national American flag.
Betsy Ross, whose name and fame have come down to
us, had not yet sewn together the stars and stripes. The
nation, in fact, had not been born; the Declaration of
Independence had not been proclaimed. Col. Reed and his
brave men had heretofore served under the King's colors—
the flag bearing the cross of St. George. That flag had
now become an emblem of tryanny, and they resolved to
"strike for Libert)-," adopting for their motto, "Obedi-
ence to God, Justice to All, Fealty to None."
On the evacuation of Boston by the British in March,
1776, Reed accompanied the patriot army in its move-
ment to New York, and on the 24th of April was assigned
to the Brigade under Gen. Sullivan to proceed up the Hud-
son to relieve the force under Arnold, in its retreat from
Canada. The following receipt on file serves to show the
confidence reposed in Col. Reed by Gen. Washington :
"New York, Apkil 20, 1776. Then received from Gen. Washington
three boxes said to contain three hundred thousand dollars, to be deliv-
ered to Gen. Schuyler at Albany.
(Signed) James RfiED."
The money was probably for the payment of Schuyler's
army.
Arnold's force was met by Gen. Sullivan at the river
Sorell, and Col. Reed was active and efficient in conduct-
ing the retreat from that point to Ticonderoga, where
they arrived on the first of July. Worn with hardship and
122
General James Reed.
exposure, the army was now attacked by disease, whi< li
rapidly thinned its ranks. While stationed at Crown
Point, Col. Reed was prostrated by fcver, which resulted
in the total loss of his sight, whereby his military career
and usefulness were terminated.
On the 9th of August, while still suffering from his
severe illness, he was appointed by Congress on the recom-
mendation of Washington, a brigadier-general. His com-
mission was forwarded by the president of Congress under
cover of the following letter:
" Philadelphia, Aug. 10, 1 7 7 r, .
Sir: The Congress having yesterday been pleased to promote jon
to the rank of brigadier-general in the army of the American States, I
do myself the pleasure to enclose your commission, and wish you happy.
1 am, sir, your most obedient and very humble servant,
John Hancock, President.
To Brigadier-General James Reed."
Unable by reason of his infirmity to remain in the ser-
vice, he retired from the army on half pay until the close
of the war. For some years after leaving the army lie
resided in Keene, N. H., occupying the confiscated estate
of Dr. Josiah Pomeroy, a royalist, which was leased to
him by the state of New Hampshire. While living in Keene
the blind general was almost daily seen upon the main
street led by a Mr. Washburn, who was paralyzed on one
side. The lame had eyes for the blind; the blind had
strength to support the cripple; — eacli exchanged that
which he had to spare for that of which he stood most in
need.
During his residence in Keene, Gen. Reed's wife Abigail
died. The following inscription is copied from a slate
stone monument once erected in an ancient burial ground
in Keene, but later, with others, removed to a new cem-
etery :
"In memory of Mrs. Abigail, wife of Gen' James Reed, who departed
this life Aug. 27, 1791, in the G.Stli year of her age."
"There's nothing here but who as nothing weighs,
The more our joys the more we know it's vain ;
Lose then from Earth the grasp of fond desire —
Weigh anchor, and some happier clime explore."
The old graveyard where her remains were deposited
was allowed to go unprotected and uncared for till many
Genera / ja in es R red 128
of the stones were broken and destroyed. At length UK-
few that remained were taken up and set one Bide and
the ground plowed and planted. To save the stones from
further desecration they were taken to a new cemetery
and set in a row by themselves. An elderly inhabitant of
Keene, indignant at such abuse of the resting places of
the dead, suggested that upon each of these stones should
be placed the additional inscription: "I once lived; I died
and was buried: but where my bones are now crumbling
into dusty no mortal man can tell"
Gen. Reed married for his second wife Mary Farrar,
a school teacher of Fitzwilliam. In 1708 he removed to
Fitchburg, where he purchased of Dr. Peter Snow, senior,
a house located on the site of the present Central block,
next west of city hall. The lot, one and a fourth acres,
comprised the land included in Cottage square and part
of that on which the city hall stands. The deed was dated
February 3, 1798. After his removal to Fitchburg, I)r.
Peter S. Snow, then a lad of eight or ten years, used to
lead the blind old general about the streets of Fitchburg.
It is related of the general and his wife that both were
fond of horseback riding, and they were accustomed to
take frequent rides together. On these occasions the two
horses were guided by the wife, by means of a rein extend-
ing from one animal's bit to that of the other.
Gen. Reed died in Fitchburg, February 13, 1807, aged
84 years, and was buried with military honors. In the
funeral procession the widow followed her husband's re-
mains to the grave on horseback, while the general's
horse, with empt}^ saddle, walked b}r her side.
Gen. Reed's family consisted of six sons and five daugh-
ters, and his descendants are quite numerous. Two of his
sons, Sylvanus and James, served in the war of the Revo-
lution. Sylvanus was an ensign in his father's regiment.
His commission, bearing date January 1, 1776, is signed
by John Hancock, president of Congress. He was adju-
tant under Gen. Sullivan, and was afterwards promoted
to colonel of a regiment. He served through the war and
died in Cambridge in 1798. James Reed, Jr., also served
through the war. He was disabled in the service and died
/
124
General James Reed,
a pensioner at Fitzwilliam, February 19, 1836, aged 89
years.
A contributor to the Granite Monthly, published at
Concord, N. H., in writing of Gen. Reed, says that:
"In all the relations of life he sustained the highest character for
honesty and integrity. In the numerous records relating to him there
is naught found but words of praise. Wherever his name is mentioned
by his comrades, from Washington down, it is in terms of commenda-
tion and eulogy. He was emphatically a Christian warrior. In the
church records of the various towns where he resided his name is en-
rolled amoug the records of each, and his military orders bespeak the
Christian as well as the soldier."
His grave in Laurel Hill cemetery is marked by an
elaborate slate-stone tablet, bearing the following quaint
inscription :
"James Reed, born at Woburn, 1723. In the various military scenes
in which his country was concerned, from 1755 to the Superior Conflict
distinguished in our history as the Revolution, he sustained Commissions
In that Revolution, at the important post of Lake George, he totally
lost his sight. From that period to his death he received from his coun.
try the retribution allowed to pensioners of the rank of Brigadier Gen-
eral. Died at Fitchburg, February 13, 1807."
In this calm, peaceful retreat, overlooking the scenes
of his declining years, repose the ashes of our heroic
dead !
" Beside the Nashua's silvery stream
The hero's relics deep are laid ;
No more of battle days he'll dream,
Fame claims no more;— her debt is paid;
Yet o'er his grave her laurels bloom,
Anil crown wilh InighU'sl w mi Him his (mult."
FITCHBURG PREPARATORY TO Till
REVOLUTION.
Rend at a meeting of the Society, October 1!), 1903.
BY EBENEZER BAILEY.
The middle of the eighteenth century found a vigor-
ous, hardy and enterprising people inhabiting the eastern
coast of North America, while to the west and north
were the Indians and the French, which latter were schem-
ing continually to acquire the ultimate control of the
whole continent. They systematically incited the Indians
to periodical incursions, calculated to strike terror to the
stoutest hearts, and the English settlers sought and were
grateful for the aid of the regular soldiers of the king of
Great Britain in destroying the French power in North
America. That accomplished, a future was opened to them,
the grandeur of which, perhaps, only a few realized at
once, but which ere long began to force itself into the
minds of many. The whole interior of a great continent
was now open to English civilization, and the foundations
of a great nation were already laid. Should it be a new-
nation independent of government across the seas, or
should it be but an adjunct of Great Britain ?
Not only were these questions present to the minds of
the colonists, but they also affected the minds of English
statesmen. But those who controlled the government were
not profound statesmen, and they sought to bind the col-
onies to the home government by means which only forced
them apart. The colonists, released from the terror ot
savage incursions and the necessity of dependence on the
political power of the mother country, opened up new set-
tlements, incorporated new towns, and engaged in new
maritime enterprises. Just when they were beginning to
enjoy unaccustomed wealth and to feel new strength and
power, the blundering government over the ocean pro-
12G Fitchburg Preparatory to the Revolution.
ceeded to enact navigation laws which grievously affected
their financial interests and exasperated them beyond
measure. The result was to push them forward in the
direction of the vision which beckoned them on towards
a separation which only habit and a genuine loyalty could
have prevented, even under a tactful and moderate gov-
ernment.
All this time settlements were being pushed further and
further towards the west. New towns were being formed,
forests felled and new lands cultivated. Roads were built
to connect distant settlements, and general communica-
tion between the seacoast and the interior towns became
each year more practicable and speedy. Some of the
wealthy residents in Boston and the larger towns bought
large tracts of land and used their influence to have them
settled and improved, and some built country houses which
were surrounded by large estates. Doubtless Massachu-
setts Bay and the colonies on the north and south would
have become in time a real New England if events had
not transpired to drive away the large landholders and
break up the land into small farms.
In 17G4, when the little community which had grown
up in the western portion of the town of Lunenburg was
set off and incorporated as Fitchburg, there must have
been some premonitions of trouble with the mother coun-
try, among those sturdy, hard-working farmers. Just how
deep a personal interest they really felt in the matter we
do not know. It was in Boston, whose merchants were
engaged in making mone}' in maritime ventures and trade,
and with whose profits the English government was in-
terfering, that the personal interest centered and opposi-
tion began. The interior towns were somewhat jealous
of Boston, and indisposed to be led by that pushing, thriv-
ing town, and they were slow to respond to her appeals
for sympathy and aid. However, at this time the pro-
posed passage of the Stamp Act was known, and must
have been more or less a subject of conversation when our
worthy Fitchburg ancestors met, though the building of
the meeting-house and the choice of a minister were to
them of more immediate importance. So matters went on
till 17GS, when some English vessels were sent to Boston
Fitchbnrg Preparatory to the Revolution. 1 JT
to overawe the inhabitants, and it was expected that sol-
diers would follow. The Boston people asked the gover-
nor to convene the General Court, but he refused. It vvai
then resolved to call a convention representing nil the
towns in the province, and circular letters were sent out,
asking the towns to send delegates. This was in the mid-
dle of September and the convention was to he held on
the 22d.
The circular letter which was sent to Fitchbnrg was
probably received on September 19, for a warrant v
issued of that date for a special town meeting at four
o'clock, P. M., of that day. This happened to be the day
for which a previous town meeting had been called, to act
in regard to the salary of the minister and some other
matters. The special meeting was called in the words of
the warrant, "To see if the Town will Chuse a Committv
according to the Request of the Selectmen of Boston, sent
to this town to desire said town to Call a town meeting
To Consider the present Critiele Situation of the Govcr-
ments afaires or Vote anything Refering thereto; as they
Shall Think Proper."
The town met as aforesaid and "Vtd and Chose the
honarable Edward Hartwell, Esq. to be the agent for the
town of fitchbnrg to Joyn the Comite of Town of Boston,
according to their Request sent by the Gentlemen select-
men of Boston sent to the town of fitchbnrg. "
The convention to which the Hon. Edward Hartwell
was a delegate met on the 22d of September, but its tem-
per was very conservative, its members, among whom was
probably Mr. Hartwell, being averse to committing them-
selves to the policy and plans of the Boston leaders. Sam-
uel Adams, almost in despair, said, "I will stand alone.
I will oppose this tyranny at the threshold, though the
fabric of liberty fall, and I perish in its ruins." A strong
petition to the king was, however, passed before the ad-
journment of the convention.
From this time, although matters moved rapidly in
Boston, and organized resistance to parliament took more
and more definite shape, so far as is shown by the Fitch-
burg town records, there was no excitement or special
interest in colony matters in this town during the next
128 Fitchburg Preparatory to the Revolution.
five years. However, none of the country towns were neg-
leeted by Samuel Adams and his junto, and no doubt
they were in touch with some good patriots in Fitchburg
and Lunenburg, who were striving hard to "leaven the
lump."
These were trying times, and there was much search-
ing of hearts and questioning as to the advisability of
taking irrevocable steps in defiance of the lawful govern-
ment. Then, as always in such crises, there were conserv-
ative people who said wait, and radical people who were
in haste to strike. There is much to be said and a place
for sincere sympathy for those who, previous to the break-
ing out of hostilities, allowed their loyalty to their mother
country and the flag of Old England, under which many
of them had fought, to hold them back from overt acts,
and induce them to counsel peace and forbearance, even
under hard conditions, which might yet be only tempo-
rary.
On the other side were men who argued after the man-
ner of those whom John Adams overheard conversing in
a Shrewsbury tavern one evening in 1 7 7 1. They were
substantial yeomen of the neighborhood, who had dropped
in to smoke their pipes and gossip before the lire which
blazed in the big tavern fireplace.
Said one, "The people of Boston are distracted." An-
other said, " No wonder the people of Boston are distracted.
Oppression will make wise men mad." A third said, " What
would you say if a fellow should come to your house and
tell you he was come to take a list of your cattle, that
Parliament might tax you for them at so much a head ?
And how should you feel if he was to come and break
open your barn, to take down your oxen, cows, horses
and sheep?" "What should I say ? " replied the first, "I
would knock him in the head." "Well," said a fourth, "if
Parliament can take away Mr. Hancock's wharf and Mr.
Rowe's wharf, they can take away your barn and my
house." After much more reasoning in this style a fifth,
who had as yet been silent, broke out, "Well, it is high
time for us to rebel. We must rebel some time or other,
and we had better rebel now than at any time to come."
,
Fitchburg Preparatory to the Revolution. 129
It is very probable that somewhat of this manner of
conversation might have been heard in this town in the
tavern, or at church, between services on Sunday, or, per-
haps, in Joseph Fox's store of an evening or on a rainy
day. But there were those, and prominent among them
was Thomas Cowdin, who could not easily break the
ties of loyalty, even to a misguided government. Per-
haps, also, they realized with better calculation and mure
discernment the difficulties and the risks of open rebellion.
We do not know how many there were of this class in
Fitchburg, but it would seem that there were not a few
who were slow to act or to commit themselves, till t he-
rising tide of feeling against the government of Great
Britain rose so high that it swept them off their feet and
carried them on with their friends and neighbors, 'fh.it
tide rose in December, 1773.
In the autumn of 1772 a town meeting was held in
Boston, at which the following vote was passed, on mo-
tion of Mr. Samuel Adams:
"That a committee of Correspondence be appointed to consist of
twenty-one persons — to state the rights of the colonists, and of this
Province in particular, as men and Christians and as subjects; and to
communicate and publish the same to the several towns and to the
world as the sense of this town, with the infringements and violations
thereof, that have been, or from time to time may be made."
In December of the same year (1772) a letter was ac-
cordingly printed and sent to each of the towns in the
Province, and for the next three months answers were re-
turned from most of the towns, breathing the spirit of
liberty and independence, and fully sustaining the senti-
ments of the Boston town meeting.
The town records of Fitchburg, however, do not show
any action at this time, nor any notice taken of the let-
ter for nearly a year. Why this indifference or this cau-
tion ? We turn the record leaves in vain, until we reach
the warrant for town meeting, to be held December 1st,
1773, and read "Article 31*, To See Whether the Town will
Take aney notis of the Letrs Sent to the Town of fitch-
burgh by the Town Clerk of Boston or vote aney thing
Refering there to as they Shall think proper."
130
FitcJiburg Preparatory to Ike Revolution.
It is very probable that the immediate cause of the
insertion of this Article was that another letter had just
been received from the Committee of Correspondence in
Boston, with regard to the "tea ships," which were on
their way hither. A letter which was written by Samuel
Adams was sent to all the provincial towns. A portion
of it read as follows:
"We think, gentlemen, that we are in duty bound to use- our most
strenuous endeavors to ward off the impending evil, and we are Mire
that upon a fair and cool inquiry into the nature and tendency of the
ministerial plan you will think this tea now coining to us more to be
dreaded than plague and pestilence."
Therefore it seemed to the earnest patriots of Fitch-
burg that the time had come to throw off their apparent
apathy, and that the question of the hour should be pre-
sented to the citizens, a public stand taken, and their de-
cision made known. An article was placed in the War-
rant, "To See Whether the Town will Take aney notis of
the Letrs Sent to the Town of fitchburgh by the Town
Clerk of Boston or vote aney thing Refering there to as
they Shall think proper;" and on the first day of Decem-
ber, 1 TT.'i, the voters assembled in the meeting-house and
Isaac Gibson was chosen moderator. It may have been
cold without, but there was warmth within the s loveless
building; for there was earnest discussion, or, as the rec-
ords say, " deliberation with zeal and candor." The meet-
ing finally voted unanimously, as follows:
"To act on the Letters or Requests <>l the Town of Boston Sent to
(he Town of 1'itrhbuigh. Chose Inane (liTison Ciipl UiiIm-ii l.ilisoii
I'MiimrliuH llnrtwell libenezer Woods kindnli Itotilull ICInrnezei Itriilgc
Solomon Steward to be a Comtnitte to Draw up and Report to the
Town of Fitchburgh a Draft of our Rights and privligs as free members
of Society: In order to make Return to the Town of Boston or to the
Comtnitte of Correspondence at Boston."
It was then " Votted that this meeting be a Jurned to
the fifteenth day of this Instant December at one O Clock
in the afternoon." The town record proceeds:
" Decembr the 15 1773 the Town being met by an a Jurniuent the
Report being Red and axcepted by the Town Voted that the Report be
Recorded in the Town Book of Records."
Another vote was passed that "yc Report consenting
Late Troble at Boston occasioned by the Late teas being
Fitchburg Preparatory to the Revolution. 181
brot subject to a Duty payd in this Coloney and Landed
be Returnd to the Committe of Coryspond at Boston/1
The next day— the lGth of December— the tea was
emptied into Boston harl)or.
In the above mentioned report the committee first ex-
press their satisfaction in the perusal of the circular let-
ters from the Committee of Correspondence, and state
their resolve "to stand fast in the Liberty and Rights
where with our Gracious Sovereign Kings have made us
free by an undeniable Charter & Decree from them their
Heirs & Successors forever." The report then proceeds to
set forth the blessings of liberty and the wretchedness of
tyranny, and then asserts that they are also moved by
principles of "humanity and benevolence for the people of
Great Britain," whose welfare and happiness were bound
up with theirs. Then they proceed to ask excuse and in-
dulgence for their long delay in considering the circular
letters, and go on to express their gratitude to the "Re-
spectable Gentlemen of the Town of Boston for their good
counsel and generous efforts in their behalf." They then
pass to the matter of the importation of the tea, and ex-
press their opinion that the opposition to the landing of
the tea was just and equitable.
This report, adopted unanimously by the voters of
Fitchburg in town meeting assembled, became thus the
voice of the town on the question of resistance to the
British Government. It was really an admirable report.
in that it was general and not particular. It did not dis-
cuss the right of parliament to tax the colonies, but it
strongly asserted their rights as Englishmen, and most
admirably and wisely identified themselves with their
brethren across the sea, as being engaged in the same
struggle against tyranny. This was true, and it stands
out clearly to-day in the light of history.
If at any time there had been lukewarm feeling or
division of opinion, the resolutions now passed amply
atoned for it, in their expressions of gratitude to the rev-
olutionary leaders at Boston, and their humble protesta-
tions that their dilatory action might not be imputed to
any indifference to the cause of liberty. It was in the af-
132
FitcJiburg Preparatory to the Revolution.
ternoon of December 15, 1773, that these resolutions were
adopted. Under instructions, a copy, duly attested by
Thomas Cowdin, the Town Clerk, was given the commit-
tee, to communicate the same to the town of Boston, and
we can readily believe that no time was lost in the' per-
formance of that duty. So that on the afternoon of the
16th, when the citizens of Boston were assembled in town
meeting, and the tea ships were about to be visited, Isaac
or Reuben Gibson, or some other member of the commit-
tee may have arrived and delivered a letter to the Com-
mitte& ®f Correspondence which said; uWi(h retpect to
the /vast fndea Tea It is our Opinion that your Opposition
is Just 8c equitable."
The next action in Fitchburg town meeting relative
to Revolutionary matters was on July 12, 1774, when the
following vote was passed in regard to "the Late papers
Sent to this Town Relating to our publick affairs and Dis-
trest Circumstances in this provance."
"Voted to Rase the money to Suporte the Congras, be collected
by a Contrebution, and if their be aney over and above, the money that
is the over plush shall be Laid out to provide a Towns Stoke of
powder."
Then the meeting was adjourned to the 9th day of
August, at which meeting it was "Voted to Signe the
Covenant," and an adjournment was made to the 26th
day of September. This "Solemn League and Covenant''
was a document pledging its signers not to use any Brit-
ish productions. It was circulated through the Massa-
chusetts towns and in other colonies.
On the 26th of September, 1774, the Town met, but
transacted no business, and adjourned to the first Tues-
day of October, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon. At this
meeting the first militar}' company was organized, for the
Town "Voted and axcepted of Ebenezer Woods as Cap-
ten, and Ebenezer Bridge as first Liuftanent and Joseph
I"ox 2 Liftanent and Kindall Boutall Insign." Capt.
David Goodridge was chosen "to Joyn the Congrass at
Concord," and it was voted to "pay the Select men for
providing the Town with Powder & Led & flints their
account which is £14-4." Then the meeting was adjourned
to the first Tuesday of November next, but at that meet-
Fitckburg Preparatory to the Revolution.
133
ing only the Moderator and Town Clerk were present,
and an adjournment was made to the 22d — at which time,
no one appearing, the meeting was not opened.
The failure of these two meetings was perhaps caused
by the fact that a new meeting was called by the Select-
men to "take in to Consideration one of the provensiall
Congress resolves in order to inlist one quarter parte of
the Trailing Soldirs at Least to be at a minets warn-
ing and to See what Ineoregment the town will Give
their minnet men that shall Inlist." There was another
article relative to the town's indemnifying the constables
for not paying the province rate.
When this meeting was held it was voted to form a
Minute Company of forty men, and to indemnity the eon-
stables for not paying the province tax to Harrison Gray,
Esq. Both these votes were public acts of resistance to
the lawful authority of Great Britain. Especially, to re-
fuse to pay money belonging to the Province into the
hands of the legal officer, and to hold it subject to the
orders of the Provincial Congress, as they also voted, was
sufficient to make them thorough-going rebels in the eyes
of the law.
The next town meeting, January 10, 1775, might be
called a meeting of military preparation. After choosing
Capt. Goodridge to be a delegate to the "provential Con-
gress at Cambridge on the first day of February next,
voted to chuse a committee of Inspection." After this it
was voted to "Indemnify the assessors for not returning
the Constables name to the Province Treasury as usual."
"Voted and Excepted of the Covenant bareing date the tenth day of
Januery 1775.
" Voted and Excepted of the offercers & soldiers that have signed
the Covenant or those that shall sign here after if offered.
"Voted to chuse a committy to veiw the minute Compenys arms.
"Voted that Cap* Woods fills up his Compeny as he and his Com-
peny shall think proper with Offercers.
"Voted that Joseph Fox be a Committee man to Receive any article
that the Inhabitants of the Town of Fitchbtirg may think proper to
Contrabute towards the relief of the Poor of Boston."
The next military action of Fitchburg was at the town
meeting March G, 1775, when it was voted to provide
forty bayonets for the Minute Company, or in the words
of the record :
10
134 Fitchburg Preparatory to the Revolution.
"Voted to provide forty Bayonets for the minute Company for the
Use of the town upon any Expedition and then to be retarnd to the
Town."
" For the use of the town upon any Expedition.91 Wai
any expedition contemplated ? These words must have had
some significance to whoever presented the motion and to
those who passed it. But whether or not any expedition
was contemplated at the time, the expedition in which
those bayonets were first used was in the endeavor of that
minute company to reach Concord and Lexington in time
to take part in the momentous conflict of the 19th of
April. They did all they could have done, but they were
too late.
Scenes in the drama of the Revolution now followed
one another swiftly, but the town records of Fitchburg
show little of the tense excitement which must have exist-
ed. How could it have been otherwise? They, with their
fellow colonists, had defied the power of England— had
attacked her soldiers. Would the English Government re-
lent or rest until they were humbled in the dust ? Only
fifty miles away were the British soldiers — expecting rein-
forcements— and then an expedition into the interior to
strike terror into the hearts of the country people.
A Provincial Congress was called, to be held at VVat-
ertown on the 31st of May, and the Town of Fitchburg
on the 22d of that month voted to send Joseph Fox, Esq.,
to represent it, but on the 11th day of July, in town
meeting assembled, the citizens declined to send any one
to represent them in the "Great and General Court or
Assembly" to lie held at Watcrlowii <>n the l-tllli.
Previous to the town meeting which was called for the
23d day of May, 1776, the warrants had always con-
tained the name of "His Majesty," but this time his au-
thority was entirely ignored, and the warrant posted
read as follows :
"In observance of the Colony writ to us directed these
are in the name of the Government and people of the Mass-
achusetts Bay" etc.
The next Fitchburg town meeting was held July 1st,
1776, and there the town of Fitchburg played its part in
the most memorable event in our national history — the
Fitchburg Preparatory to the Revolution. 1 85
Declaration of Independence. On the 19th or 20th of June
Capt. William Thurlo posted on the little church on the
hill north of the tavern the following warrant:
"By virtue of a Resolve passed by the Late house of Representative*
may 10th 1776 to us directed in order to call a Town meeting you arc-
hereby required to Notify the Freeholders <.\: other Inhabitants of the
Town of Fitchburg and others adjoining to said Town to Assembly and
meet at the meeting house in s<J Town on munday the first Day of July
next at three O Clock in the afternoon then & there being duly meet and
formed to act on the following articles (viz)
" Vy To Chuse a Moderator to Govern said meeting.
"2Vy To know the mind of the Town that if y^- Honorable Conti.
nential Congress should for the Safty of the United Colonies declare them
independant of the Kingdom of Great Britain that we the inhabitants
of the Town of Fitchburg will Solomnly Hnga^e with their Lives 6c
fortains to support them in the Measure or act any thing refering their
too as they shall thing proper when meet."
This warrant was signed by the five selectmen: David
Goodridge, Isaac Gibson, Joseph Walker, Phinehas Hart-
well, Elijah Carter.
Whether on that July afternoon there was deliberation
and discussion among the assembled citizens in the meet-
ing-house, or whether the question was simply put and
unanimously voted, the records tell us not. This is all
they say :
"At a Legal meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Fitchburg
legally warned and Assembled July 1st 1770.
"lly Voted and Chose Deacon Goodridge Moderator.
"2!y Voted that if the Honorable Continental Congress should for
the Safty of these United Colinies Declare them Independant of the
Kingdom of Great Braitain that we the Inhabitants of the Town of
Fitchburg will with Our lives and fortains support them in the measure.
"3>y Voted that the Town Clark coppy of the second vote and Send
it to the General Cort.
"This meeting Disolved. David Goodridge moderator
Joseph Fox Town Clerk."
OLD MILITIA COMPANIES.
Read at a meeting of the Society, November 10, WOO.
BY HENRY H. ADAMS.
Very early in the history of New England the colo-
nists saw the necessity of organizing the militia. Well-
equipped companies were in active service in the Indian
War of 1675-76 —King Philip's War.
Long before the Revolution the muster field was an
educational force. The meeting-houses were often built on
or near the training grounds. Commissions were eagerly
sought and were intrigued for. Village titled honors were
divided between the deacon, the magistrate and the offi-
cers of the militia. Some of the older regiments saw more
than a century of colonial life.
In 1659 Thomas Adams of Chelmsford was chosen
chief sergeant of a company, but the county court refused
to confirm him on account of his religious views. He was,
however, confirmed the following year, upon solemnly
agreeing not to disseminate his principles or notions "con-
trary to what the church doth confessedly own and prac-
tice."
The bounty jumper of the Civil War may have thought
he had found something new in the way of lucrative busi-
ness, but he only followed the footsteps of his predecessor
of the war of the Revolution.
Congress on the 8th day of May, 1792, passed a law-
establishing a uniform militia throughout the United
States. Every able-bodied white male citizen of the age of
eighteen years and under the age of forty-five was to be
enrolled, excepting the vice-president, officers judicial and
executive of the United States, custom house officers with
their clerks, post officers and stage drivers who are em-
ployed in the care and conveyance of the mail, ferrymen
employed at any ferry on the post road, all inspectors oi
Old Militia Companies. 187
exports, all pilots, all mariners actually employed in the
sea service of any citizen or merchant within the United
States.
Every citizen so enrolled shall within six months there-
after provide himself with a good musket or firelock, a
sufficient bayonet and belt, two spare Hints and a knap-
sack, a pouch with a box therein to contain not less than
twenty-four cartridges suited to the bore of his musket,
each cartridge to contain a proper quantity of powder and
ball; or with a good rifle, knapsack, shotpouch and pow-
der horn, twenty balls suited to the bore of his rifle and
a quarter of a pound of powder, and shall appear so
armed and accoutred and provided when called out to ex-
ercise or into service, except that when called out on com-
pany days to exercise only he may appear without a
knapsack; that the commissioned officers shall be armed
with a sword or hanger, and that from and after five
years from the passing of this act all muskets for arming
the militia as herein required shall be of bores sufficient
for balls of the eighteenth part of a pound.
In the cavalry companies each dragoon was required
to furnish himself with a serviceable horse, at least four-
teen and a half hands high, a good saddle, bridle and
valise, holsters and a breastplate and crupper, a pair of
boots and spurs, a pair of pistols, a sabre and a cartouch
box to contain twelve cartridges for pistols.
On the 2d day of March, 1803, congress made some
additions to the law, one of which was that every citizen
duly enrolled in the militia should be constantly provided
with arms, accoutrements and ammunition. Commanding
officers of companies were required to parade their com-
panies on the first Tuesday of May annually at one o'clock
in the afternoon, for the purpose of inspecting, examining
and taking an exact account of all the equipments of their
men, and to train their companies for three several days
in the year in addition.
In 1809 the state legislature passed an act exempting
from militia duty the lieutenant-governor, members oi the
executive council, judges of the courts and their clerks.
justices of the peace, registers of probate, registers of deeds,
secretary and treasurer of the commonwealth and their
138
Old Militia Comp
anus.
clerks, sheriffs, officers and students of colleges, preceptors
of academies and schoolmasters while employed as such,
officers and guards employed at the state prison, and
every person of the religious denominations of Shakers
and Quakers.
Those conditionally exempted were deputy sheriffs and
coronors, physicians and surgeons; all who had held com-
missions in the militia for less than five years, all between
forty and forty-five years of age. (This was changed in
1821 from thirty-five to forty-five years of age.) These
were exempted from all militia duty except that of keep-
ing themselves constantly furnished with arms and equip-
ments required by the laws of the United States and the
duty of carrying or sending them on the first Tuesday of
May annually to the place of inspection of the company
in which they were enrolled, and the dut}' of attending
elections of company officers, and were to pay to the
treasurer of the town $2.00 annually, and the money so
collected was expended by the selectmen of the town in
arming and equipping such members of the militia as were
not conveniently able to arm and equip themselves.
By the law of 1792 the field officers of a regiment
were one lieutenant-colonel commandant and one major
to each battalion of the militia. In 1816, this was changed
to one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel and one major.
Provision seems to have been made in the law of 1792
for such independent companies as then existed. They
were to retain their accustomed privileges subject to all
duties required by the law in like manner with the other
militia. The regular companies of the militia were called
the "Standing" companies and later became known as the
"Slam-bang" companies.
Penalties for deficiency in equipment were as follows:
If deficient of a good musket of a bore sufficient for balls
of the eighteenth part of a pound, a sufficient bayonet
and belt and an iron or steel ramrod, all of which arti-
cles are to be considered as one, and a deficiency in either
shall be considered a deficiency of the whole, he shall for.
feit one dollar.
Tf deficient of a cartridge box containing twenty-four
cartridges suited to the bore of his musket and each ear-
Old Militia Companies. 189
tridgc containing a proper quantity of good powder ami
ball, or if deficient of a serviceable knapsack, he shall for-
feit thirty cents.
If deficient of two spare flints and a priming wire and
brush, or either of them, he shall forfeit twenty cents,
provided, nevertheless, that none of the above forfeitures
shall be incurred by any private in case he appears with
a good rifle, knapsack, shotpouch and powder horn, a
quarter of a pound of powder and twenty balls suited to
the bore of his rifle.
The militia of Fitchburg was organized into two com-
panies of infantry, locally known as the North and South
companies, and one company of cavalry, very soon alter
the passing of this law. These companies were of the
4th regiment, 2d brigade, 7th division, but it seems there
was already one company of infantry and one of cavalry,
as we find that John Goodridge was commissioned cap-
tain, May 2, 1781, and promoted to major, April 30, 1794.
William Brown was commissioned first lieutenant of
cavalry, March 1, 1787, and promoted to captain, March
1, 1791.
Aseph Goodridge was commissioned first lieutenant of
cavalry, August 19, 1794, and promoted to captain, May
2, 1797.
Thomas Hartwell was commissioned major, Ma}- 2,
1787.
Joseph Howe was commissioned captain, April If),
1794.
John Upton was commissioned captain, May 19, 1794.
John Fox, Jr., was commissioned captain, May 30,
1796.
Benjamin Marshall was commissioned captain, May 30,
1796, and promoted to major, December 10, 1797.
Daniel Putnam was commissioned first lieutenant of
cavalry, April 20, 1801, and promoted to captain, Decem-
ber 27, 1802, and made- major, March 19, 1806.
James Cowdin was commissioned ensign, May 30,
1796, and captain, March 12, 1800.
Oliver Fox was commissioned ensign, April 29, 1799.
lieutenant, March 12, 1800, captain, March 25,
140 Old Militia Companies.
Edmund Durant was commissioned captain, March 12,
1800.
Aaron Wheeler was commissioned ensign, March 12,
1800, captain, March 14, 1803.
Samuel Phelps was commissioned ensign, June 11,
1798, lieutenant, March 12, 1800.
John Farwell was commissioned ensign, April 29, 1805,
lieutenant, April 14, 1806, captain, April 2f>, 1809.
Joseph Farwell was commissioned lieutenant, May 7,
1805, captain, April 14, 180G.
Jonathan Thurston was commissioned ensign, May 2,
1809, lieutenant, May 1, 1810, captain, April 21, 1811.
Joseph Fox, Jr., was commissioned lieutenant, May 19,
1794.
William Brown, Jr., of the cavalry, was commissioned
cornet, April 8, 1806, lieutenant, June 6, 1806.
Sylvester P. Flint was commissioned ensign, March 2r>,
1802, lieutenant, March 14, 1803, captain, April 29, 1805,
lieutenant-colonel commandant, February 20, 1810. Dis-
charged, January 17, 1811.
Nathan Ordway was commissioned ensign, April 4,
1806, quartermaster, February 16, 1807, adjutant, April
4, 1810, major, April 12, 1813. Discharged, May 17, IS15.
Philip P. Cowdin was commissioned ensign, May 7,
1805, lieutenant, April 4, 1806, captain, March 31, 1808.
Discharged, February 7, 1810.
Elijah Mclntire, Jr., was commissioned lieutenant, April
5, 1809.
George S. Putnam was commissioned ensign, May 5,
1807, lieutenant, March 31, 1808.
Isaiah Putnam was commissioned ensign, May 5, 1807.
Samuel Putnam was commissioned ensign, March 31,
1808, lieutenant, May 2, 1809, captain, April 4, 1810.
Discharged, April 3, 1811.
Joshua Goodrich was commissioned lieutenant, April 4,
1810, captain, May 7, 1811. Discharged, April 15, 1813.
Martin Newton was commissioned captain, May 31,
1813. Discharged, April 4, 1815.
Leonard Burbank was commissioned ensign, May 2,
1809, captain, April 4, 1810, major, February 21. 1811,
li<:ijf&i)«jn£-c<;lorii:l .'oinmiiudajjl:. V.i'i t.'J. ' " ' ■ • :yr"
Old Militia Companies. 141
colonel, January 20, 181G, brigadier-general, January 25,
1817.
Zaehariah Sheldon, Jr., was commissioned ensign, April
22, 1811, lieutenant, March 11, 1814, captain, May 31,
1816.
Benjamin Wheeler was commissioned ensign, September
27, 1813, lieutenant, May 29, 1815, captain, March 31,
1816.
Jacob Upton was commissioned first lieutenant of the
cavalry, March 12, 1813. Discharged, June 3,0, 1817. Ik-
was no doubt in command of the cavalry company, as
there is no record of captains being commissioned lor
many years.
Nehemiah Giles was commissioned quartermaster Au-
gust 1, 1815.
Daniel Mayo was commissioned lieutenant, September
7, 1813, captain, May 29, 1815.
Ephraim Hartwell was commissioned captain, June 19,
1817.
Amos Durant was commissioned lieutenant, April 7,
1820, captain, April 10, 1821.
Jacob Jaquith, Jr., was commissioned lieutenant, Au-
gust 14, 1817.
Samuel Hale was commissioned lieutenant, May 31,
1816.
Benjamin Flint, Jr., was commissoncd lieutenant of the
cavalry, October 31, 1823.
Daniel Works of the cavalry was commissioned cornet,
October 31, 1823, lieutenant, June 20, 1825. Discharged,
May 10, 1827.
Joel Page was commissioned cornet, May 27, 1818.
Discharged, May 3, 1822.
Nathan Tolman was commissioned lieutenant, August
14, 1824.
Stephen A. Pratt was commissioned ensign, September
6, 1824.
Hosea Proctor was commissioned captain, May 26,
1830.
Joseph Upton, Jr., was commissioned ensign, March 20,
1830, lieutenant, August 2, 1830, captain, July 4, 1833.
142 Old Militia Companies.
Abel Eaton was commissioned ensign, August 22, 1830
lieutenant, July 4, 1833.
Eri Holden was commissioned lieutenant, July 4, 1833.
Thomas Upton was commissioned ensign, July 4, 1833.
Elijah Felt was commissioned captain, March 11, IS.'',:',,
major, December 30, 1834, lieutenant-colonel, June 25
1835.
Flint Sheldon was commissioned lieutenant, May 2
1833.
Nathaniel E. Dodge was commissioned ensign, Septem-
ber 12, 1833.
Ezra Kendall was commissioned quartermaster, August
15, 1833.
Edwin F. Burnell was commissioned lieutenant-colonel,
January 4, 1834.
Calvin Foster was commissioned adjutant, September
15, 1834.
Of the regimental staff Dr. Peter Snow was commis-
missioned surgeon's mate in 1793, and promoted to sur-
geon, March 12, 1800.
Dr. Abel Fox was commissioned surgeon's mate, June
1, 1813, and promoted to surgeon, February 12, 1814.
Silas Parsons was commissioned surgeon's mate, Feb-
ruary 2, 1814.
William Bascom was commissioned chaplain, October
8, 1808.
Rev. Calvin Lincoln was commissioned chaplain, Sep-
tember 25, 1S27.
John HuLler was commissioned paymaster, August 157,
1829.
Daniel Cross was commissioned paymaster, September
15, 1834.
One of the meeting places for roll call, inspection and
election of officers was the hall connected with the old
Fitchburg Hotel, which stood upon the site of the present
hotel; another was at the Woodbury tavern on the Turn-
pike road in the south part of the town. Officers were
expected to furnish the liquors and cigars. Very likely the
meeting-house was at times used by the militia compa-
nies, as it was a general utility place used for political
and town meetings. In one town the town powder was
Old Militia Companies. 143
stored in a closet built in the overhead beams of the un-
finished edifice.
May training and the annual muster were important
events of each year and were devoted to military drill
and exercise, and to jollification in which New England
rum was a potent factor.
By the law of 1840 every able-bodied white male cit-
izen between eighteen and forty-five years of age, except-
ing persons enlisted in the Volunteer companies, were to be
enrolled in the militia, and the militia thus enrolled were to
be subject to no active duty whatever except in ease of
war, invasion, or to prevent invasion. The active militia
of the commonwealth were to consist and be composed of
volunteers or companies raised at large and in all cases
were first to be ordered into service in case of war or inva-
sion, arms to be furnished by the state. With the passing
of this law the Standing or Slam-bang companies went
out of existence, and the Independent companies were gen-
erally merged into the Volunteer militia, the system of
the present time.
The Ashburnham Light Infantry company was char-
tered in June, 1791, and the officers chosen were commis-
sioned July 13, following. The town of Ashburnham
manifested a lively interest in the military organization,
almost without interruption, from 1791 to the opening of
the Civil War in 1861. In the war of 1812 the people of
Massachusetts were opposed or indifferent to the prosecu-
tion of the war, but with the Light Infantry company
the spirit of the soldier triumphed over the prevailing sen-
timent of the town and the members were frequently
drilled in the exercise of arms and expectantly waited the
summons to march to the scene of conflict.
The late Colonel Phillips, our former townsman, in one
of his letters wrote as follows: "While we lived in Ash-
burnham my father was a member of the Light Infantry
company and he used to take me to training with him.
Soon after the war of 1812 broke out it was unpopular
in Massachusetts and was called in derision 'Jim Madi-
son's' war.
"Governor Strong did not respond readily to the call
for troops, but when a British fleet appeared off Boston
144 Old Militia Comp
antes.
harbor he became alarmed and issued a call for all the
independent companies in the commonwealth to repair to
Boston for the protection of'the capital town of the state.
There was great excitement all over the- state. The Asli-
burnham Light Infantry marched down through Pitch-
burg one Sunday morning, led by Captain Ivers Jewett,
to the music of fife and drum, and were followed by a
large baggage wagon containing ammunition and equi-
page. When the danger was over they came marching
back." They were stationed at South Boston and Dor-
chester fifty-one days and were discharged October 30,
1814.
The Leominster artillery was one of the independent
companies that responded to the call of Governor Strong
and marched to the defence of Boston at the same time
as the Ashburnham company.
Owing to the unpopularity of the war of 1812 in New
England a draft had to be resorted to. Among those
drafted from Fitchburg were James Kemp, Joe Eaton and
a man named Hosley. Eaton for some reason could not
(or did not) go; and a man by name of Haskett was
hired in his place. The drafted men were sent to Fort
Warren in Boston harbor.
For many years subsequent to the war of 1812 the
Ashburnham company was maintained with full ranks,
and in proficiency of drill and discipline was among the
first companies in the regiment; but in the progress of
years the military spirit was suffered to decline, the laws
of the state yielded a diminishing support for the mainte-
nance of military organizations, and in 1838 the company
appealed to the town for pecuniary assistance, which was
refused. From that time the company gradually decreased
in numbers and efficiency until December, 1851, when its
officers were officially discharged and the company dis-
banded.
But the military spirit was soon rekindled, the occa-
sion for which was found in a Fourth of July celebration
in Fitchburg in 1855. The old members of the organiza-
tion were called together and the ranks filled with new
recruits. The men were drilled and participated in the cel-
ebration with credit, says the historian of Ashburnham,
Old Militia Companies. 145
to themselves and to the town. The Sentinel in its report
of the celebration, after mentioning the different local or-
ganizations that took part, goes on to say that Ashhurn-
hatn also furnished a company for the occasion of about
a hundred men neatly dressed in the continental uniform,
whose appearance added much to the attraction of the
seene. The spirit of former years was aroused ; the com-
pany was reorganized and continued in a flourishing con-
dition until the war of the Rebellion demanded its ser-
vices. The new officers chosen at its reorganization were:
Captain, Joseph P. Rice; first lieutenant, Addison A.
Walker; second lieutenant, Jonas Morse; third lieutenant,
Alonzo P. Davis; fourth lieutenant, George H. Barrett;
with full ranks, sixty-six names upon its roll, and ably
commanded, the company attended the division muster
at West Brookfield in September following, Col. Edwin
Upton being in command of the regiment.
In June, 1860, Captain Rice was promoted to be colo-
nel of the regiment and Lieut. Addison A. Walker was
commissioned captain of the Light Infantry.
In the spring of 1861 the company, under command
of Captain Walker, promptly tendered service to the gov-
ernor as an organization in aid of the Union cause.
When the 21st regiment was recruited in July of that
year Company G was composed mostly of Ashburnham
men and nearly all were members of the Light Infantry
company.
Captain Joseph P. Rice, who for so long a time com-
manded the company, was promoted to the rank of lieu-
tenant-colonel of the 21st regiment, and was killed at the
front of his regiment at the battle of Chantilly, Septem-
ber 1, 1862. He is said to have been a soldier in the best
sense of the term, and to bravery and courage united
manliness of character and genuine kindness of heart.
A CONNECTING LINK IN THE MILITARY
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
Read at a meeting of the Society, December 16, V.)<)7.
\)Y HENRY A. GOODRICH.
During the War of the Revolution, about one-tenth of
the population of Fitchburg were more or less engaged
in military service. The minutemen were fully organized
and equipped for duty when the alarm was given on the
morning of the 19th of April, 1775. After the war was
over, it was deemed necessary to keep up the military
spirit for future emergencies. Accordingly there were three
companies organized in this town, two of infantry, known
as the North and South companies, and one of cavalry.
These companies were in the Fourth regiment, Second
brigade, Seventh division of Massachusetts militia. But
little is known of the Cavalry company except that Wil-
liam Bacon was commissioned lieutenant March 1, 17S7,
and promoted captain March 1, 1791, and Asaph Good-
ridge was captain in 1797.
The purpose of this paper is to show a connecting
link between the military of the Revolutionary period and
the organization of the Fitchburg Fusiliers. Col. George
F. Goodrich recently discovered, among the documents left
by his father, a record of what was known as the South
company of Fitchburg. The exact elate of the organiza-
tion of this company is not given, but the first call for
inspection is dated April 24, 1794, and reads as follows:
"Worcester, ss. To Mr. Benjamin Danforth, Jr. Sir:
In the name of the commonwealth you are hereby required
to notify and warn all the train band in your district to
appear at the train-field in Fitchburg on Tuesday, the
sixth day of May next, at 1 o'clock p. M., with arms and
equipments as the law directs, for the purpose of view-
A Connecting Link. 147
ing arms and other military duty as the commanding offi-
cer of the company shall think proper, and there to
attend till lawfully dismissed. Fail not, and make return
to me at or before said day. Given under my hand and
seal this 24th day of April,' 1794.
John Goodridge, Capt"
Capt. Goodridge was the writer's great-grandfather,
was a soldier of the Revolution, and celebrated his twenty-
first birthday at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was
promoted to major April 30, 1794. The total rank and
file under Capt. Goodridge numbered sixty men. Among
them are familiar names, as Boutelle, Brown, Baldwin,
Cowdin, Carter, Carleton, Daniels, Day, Eaton, Fuller,
Fullum, Far well, Goodridge, Houghton, Marshall, Osborn,
Pratt, Palmer, Stickney, Sheldon, Simonds, Stone, Wilson,
Upton. Number of muskets reported at first inspection,
49; one fife, one drum, one sergeant, one ensign, one lieu-
tenant, John Upton. On May 18, 1794, the company
met to choose a captain, in place of Capt. Goodridge,
promoted to major. They chose John Upton captain and
Joseph Fox lieutenant; sergeants— Nehemiah Fuller, Eph-
raim Osborn, Thomas Fairbanks, Asa Farwell ; corpo-
rals— Jonathan Boynton, Joseph Dowries, Timothy Gray,
John Kimball.
At the next inspection the number of rank and tile
reported was 48 men, number of muskets 46. Jacob
Burnap succeeded John Upton as captain. In 179S James
Cowdin was chosen lieutenant, Ephraim Osborn as ensign.
It may .not be generally known that in those days
the commissioned officers consisted of a captain, one lieu-
tenant and an ensign, instead of a captain and two lieu-
tenants, as at present. The ensign was usually the stand-
ard-bearer, but since the office was abolished in the mili-
tary, this service is performed by the color-sergeant. The
title of ensign is still retained in the navy, the office being
next above midshipman.
As the record of the old South company proceeds,
nearly every old familiar name in Fitchburg will be found
on its list of officers, rising by regular promotion from
corporal to captain. The sergeants under Capt. Burnap
were Joseph Downe, Solomon Day, Joshua Stickney, OK-
148 m A Connecting Link in the
ver Fox. In 1801 James Cowdin was captain, and the
rank and file was given as 54, muskets 4 7.
May 5, 1802, Capt. James Cowdin's company met,
and after he reeeived his discharge they chose Oliver Fox
eaptain, and Aaron Eaton, Jr., lieutenant.
The return of Oliver Fox's company in May, 1802,
gives the rank and file as 45 men, and number of mus-
kets 41.
In 1803 the names of the officers of the South com-
pany were: Oliver Fox, captain; Aaron Baton, lieuten-
ant; Joseph Farwell, ensign; sergeants— Ephraim Davis,
elerk, George W. Chaplin, Moses Farwell, Joseph Carter;
corporals— James Farwell, Thomas Harris, Verin Daniels,
Elisha Carter. Return of Capt. Fox's company, May 3,
1803, shows enrolled men in cloth uniform, 48; cartridges
with balls, 1320; knapsacks, 55; wires and brushes, ~>~) ;
flints, 165; bayonet belts, 55; ramrods, 5C>; cartridge
boxes, 55; bayonets, 54; muskets, 55 ; total rank and file,
51 ; drums and fifes, 5.
Capt. Fox was a noted man in his day and lived
where the Whitney Opera house now stands. All the land
between Prichard and Grove streets was known as Fox
flat and all between Prichard and Mt. Vernon streets as
Fox hill. Two well-known streets, Oliver and Fox, per-
petuate his name.
May 7, 1805, Capt. Fox's company met after he re-
ceived his discharge, to choose a captain and fill the vacan-
cies made by promotion. Lieut. Eaton was chosen cap-
tain, Ensign Farwell lieutenant, Philip Cowdin ensign ;
sergeants — William Kimball, elerk, Aaron Houghton, James
Farwell, Samuel Kimball. Return of Capt. Eaton's com-
pany, May 7, 1805, shows men in cloth uniforms, 62;
muskets, 65; total rank and file, 65. The roll of the com-
pany at this time shows many familiar names still com-
mon in this locality. Capt. Eaton was succeeded, April
14, 1806, by Joseph Farwell, with Philip Cowdin as lieu-
tenant and James Farwell as ensign; sergeants— William
Kimball, George F. Putnam, Samuel Kimball and Samuel
Putnam. The return of Capt. Far well's company, May 6,
1806, gives men in cloth uniform, 4-5; muskets, 53; total
rank and file, 59.
Military History of Fitchburg. 1 L9
May 5, 1807, Capt. Farwell's company met to choose
an ensign in place of James Farwell, discharged, and
George P. Putnam was chosen to fill the vacancy. Re-
turn of the company, May 5, 1807: Men in cloth uni-
forms, 55; muskets, 53; total rank and file, 60.
March 1, 1808, Philip P. Cowdin was elected captain,
George F. Putnam lieutenant, and Samuel Putnam ensign;
sergeants— Joshua Phillips, Joseph Carter, James Stewart,
William Carter. May 2, 1808, Samuel Putnam was chosen
lieutenant, and Leonard Burbank ensign. Return of Capt-
Cowdin's company, May 3, 1808: Men in cloth uniforms,
58; muskets, 54; total rank and file, 58. Return ol Capt.
Cowdin's company, May 2, 1809: Men in cloth uniforms,
50; muskets, 50; total rank and file, 50. The officers
elected, April 4, 1810, were as follows: Captain, Samuel
Putnam; lieutenant, Joshua Goodridge; ensign, Webster
Cole. The return of Capt. Putnam, May 1, 1810, gives
men in cloth uniform, 45; muskets, 52; rank and file, 55.
At a meeting of the company, May 7, 1811, the fol-
lowing officers were elected: Captain, Joshua Goodridge;
lieutenant, Webster Cole; ensign, James Stewart. The roll
of Capt. Goodridge's company, May 4, 1812, shows:
Sergeants — Martin Newton, Jonathan Whitcomb, Ephraim
Osborn, Jr., Samuel Hale. Men in uniform, 50; rifled guns,
2; muskets, 61; total rank and file, 64.
May 24, 1812, the two infantry companies were called
together for the purpose of a detachment. The names de-
tached were as follows: From Capt. Joshua Goodridge's
company, Joseph Cowdin, Natt Cowdin, Bush Fitch, Levi
Pratt, Aaron Derby, Jr., Samuel Taylor, Joseph Kemp,
William Derby and Samuel Miller. From the North com-
pany, Capt. Thurston, one drummer, Lyman Garfield, and
nine men— George Wood, Amos Daby, Simeon Gibson, Ed-
ward Burnap, Jr., Nathaniel Sawyer, William Carlton,
Simon Marshall, Joseph Haskell, Joseph J. Souther.
Capt. Joshua Goodridge lived on a farm in South
Fitchburg, a short distance this side oi the Leominster
line.
On May 4, 1813, the company was in command ol
Lieut. Webster Cole, with men in uniform 43, title guns
3, muskets 48, rank and file 51, The other officers at
ii
150 A Connecting Link in the
this date were Joseph Stewart, ensign; sergeants— Martin
Newton, Jonathan Whitcomb, Ephraim Osborn, Jr., Sam-
uel Hale.
The next record gives an inspection of the company,
Oct. 6, 1813, under Martin Newton, captain; Daniel
Mayo, lieutenant; Benjamin Wheeler, ensign; sergeants—
Ephraim Osborn, Jr., Samuel Hale, Joseph Cowdin, Mi-
caiah Warren. The roll of the company, May 3, 1814,
gives Martin Newton, captain; Daniel Mayo, lieutenant;
sergeants— Samuel Hale, Micaiah Warren, Joseph. Cowdin
and John Upton. The return of the same date shows:
Men in uniform, 43; rifles, 2; muskets, 4-8; total rank
and file, 51.
It appears by the record that it was the custom of
the company to impose fines for neglect- of duty by failure
to appear at trainings, muster, or at inspection, also for
deficiency in equipments.
The following were some of the fines imposed and
paid: Ephraim Osborn of the South company paid $3 tine
for neglecting to train with said company May 3, 1814.
Luther Griggs and Jonathan Flint were each fined $3 for
neglecting to meet with said company for May training,
1814. Received of Luther Griggs $8 for fines, two com-
pany trainings and one muster for the year 1814. Octo-
ber 31, received of Levi Warren 50 cents for deficiency of
a cartridge box, wire and brush, and spare flints, at the
inspection of the South company on the 2d day of May,
1815.
July 29, .1814, the two infantry companies were called
together for the purpose of detaching four privates, two
from each company. From Capt. Newton's company,
Levi Pratt and Joel Eaton, and from Capt. John Thurs-
ton's company, James Kemp and Andrew Poore.
This and the account of the detachment previously
mentioned, which took place in 1812, are the only refer-
ences in the record to the North company, so called. Xo
mention is made of the purpose for which these detach-
ments were ordered. Possibly for some special service
connected with the war of 1812. Capt. Newton was a
prominent manufacturer, whose factory was located in
what is now called " Newton's lane." It would appear
Military History of Fitckbltrg.
151
from the record that Capt. Newton was promoted from
sergeant to captain without filling the usual preliminary
offices.
Inspection of the company, September 21, 1S1 l, names
Martin Newton captain, Daniel Mayo lieutenant, Benja-
min Wheeler ensign. Sergeants— Samuel Hale, Mieaiah
Warren, John Upton, Timothy P. Upton.
May 2, 1815, gives the roll of the company under
Lieut. Daniel Mayo: Daniel Mayo, lieutenant; Benjamin
Wheeler, ensign; sergeants— Samuel Hale and Mieaiah
Warren. Return of Lieut. Daniel Mayo, May 2, 1815.
Men in uniform, 30; rifles, 1 ; muskets, 55; total rank and
file, 56.
On May 29, 1815, the company met and elected the
following officers : Daniel Mayo, captain ; Benjamin Wheeler,
lieutenant; Samuel Hale, ensign; sergeants— Mieaiah War-
ren, Alpheus Bartlett, Ephraim M. Cunningham, Charles
Farnsworth.
August 14, 1815, Capt. Mayo issued orders for a
training on the 12th day of September of the same year,
M. Warren, clerk.
September 12, 1815, the company met, agreeable to
the foregoing orders. On the same day, Capt. Mayo or-
dered his company to assemble on the 3d day of October
for a training.
October 3, the company met agreeable to the foregoing
order, and performed military duty, and while under arms
received orders from Lieut. Wheeler to assemble on the
11th day of October for muster.
The next year, 1816, was the last in the history of
the company, and man}' and frequent trainings were held.
April 18, 1816. — The company under Lieut. Wheeler.—
An order was issued for a training on the 7th day of
May, also for inspection and election of officers. May 7,
1816, the company met according to foregoing order and
elected Benjamin Wheeler captain, Samuel Hale lieutenant,
and Alpheus Kimball ensign.
August 23, 1816, Capt. Benjamin Wheeler issued or-
ders for his company to assemble on Tuesday, the 3d o(
September, to perform military duty.
152 A Connecting Link in the
September 3, 1816, the company met in accordance
with the foregoing order and performed military duty.
September 18, 181G, the company met according to
orders received while under arms on the 3d instant, and
again performed military duty and while under arms again
received orders from Capt. Wheeler to assemble on the 2d
day of October next, to perform military duty (nice more
October 2, 1816, the company met agreeable to or-
ders, and while under arms received orders from Capt.
Wheeler to assemble on the 9th day of October at 6 o'clock
a. M. for regimental inspection and review.
October 9, the company met agreeable to the forego-
ing order and performed military duty and passed inspec-
tion and review, Micaiah Warren, clerk.
This appears, according to the record, to have been
the last meeting of the company. The Fitchburg Fusiliers
were organized in December of the same year, about three
months afterwards, and it is quite likely that many of the
men connected with the old company were transferred to
the new. Certain it is that some of those heretofore men-
tioned were afterwards officers of the Fusiliers. Thus it
will be seen b}r this record that the old South company,
composed in part of men who had already seen actual
service, formed the connecting link between the Revolu-
tionary period and the organization of the Fitchburg
Fusiliers.;
For a quarter of a century this company performed
military duty at a time when it required no little sacri-
fice to become even a citizen soldier. During the existence
of this company there were no less than thirteen different
commanding officers.
When a boy I often wondered where so many men in
Fitchburg obtained their titles, for it seemed to me that
almost every prominent man in town was a captain.
The last named in this record was Capt. Benjamin
Wheeler, who lived in what was known as Wheeler hol-
low, near the normal school building.
In addition to the names of the officers already men-
tioned, there were the captains of the North company,
the Cavalry company, and the several commanders in the
early years of the Fusiliers. These together furnished the
Military History of Fitchburg, 1 59
large number of military titles distributed among the
residents of Fitchburg during the first seventy-five years
after the incorporation of the town.
It is the province of this society to restore and pre-
serve as many as possible of the old records in the early
history of Fitchburg, and this fact is the writer's apology
for presenting this crude and somewhat monotonous rec-
ord of one of its oldest regularly organized military com-
panies.
During the years of this company's existence, a large
proportion of the able-bodied men under forty years of
age were accustomed to perform some kind of military
duty. Trainings and muster were among the events of
the year. Consequently, there were as many or more citi-
zen soldiers in town at that time than to-day, with a
population twent}' or twenty-five times greater.
Many of the towns in the commonwealth are now
without a military organization, but Fitchburg has al-
ways had one or more good companies, and has main-
tained an honorable military record, both in active service
and in time of peace.
THE OLD TURNPIKE AND TURNPIKE DAYS.
Read at a meeting of the Society, May 20t 1895.
BY FREDERICK A. CURRIER.
"Over on the turnpike," beyond Mt. Elam, the road
is a reminder of days when stock companies were build-
ing highways and bridges, and all who used them paid
toll therefor. Among the necessities of civilized man arc-
facilities for communication. The paths, as made by the
Indians and beasts of the forest, were in natural curves;
the white man not unfrequently followed in their foot-
steps, and after building their log cabins the early set-
tlers looked to the improvement of the "Ways." With
the increase of population the old paths, only Lwu or
three feet wide, marked by trees, with here and there
clearings of the brush and thicket, leading through woods
which bore the mark of centuries, where no stream was
bridged, nor hill graded, or marsh drained, were gradu-
ally extended. Through these channels for many years
went the messengers with news from distant friends, and
the laws were communicated. When in those early days
a worn and weary man, upon his half-starved horse, or
two or three pedestrians, bending under their packs,
swinging their sturdy staves, were discovered approach-
ing a settlement, they were welcomed with a universal
cordiality, no matter who they might lie, as those by
whom it was hoped to once again hear of the welfare of
distant loved ones, and feel the kiss of one more wave
from the great ocean of that world from which they were
separated ; and the departure of a settler for Massachu-
setts Bay was an event known to every one in the
vicinity. Starting with his burden of messages, long, lov-
ing letters, and many commissions for pett\r purchases,
the adventurer received the benefit of public prayers for
the prosperity of his passage and safety of his return.
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days. I 55
The first record of roads in New England refers to
them as "'trodden paths." Year by year the paths became
better marked as the settlements began to string themselves
upon them, and the best situated grew into villages and
towns. The footsteps of those who trod them went more
and more hurriedly, and the bridle path gave way to the
rude road for ox teams, and soon the wheels of heavy
carts were heard. These roads, as a matter of economy,
followed the old routes, just as in the country the first
track made by a man in the newly fallen snow is likely
to be followed by all other travelers during the winter,
even though he may have gone far to one side of the
right track. As we go over the old roads yet remaining
we are surprised that so many run over the highest hills,
when they would have been so much easier to build and
maintain if they went through the valleys; but as the
first clearings were usually upon the elevations the paths
were from cabin to cabin and from one settlement to an-
other. Many of the old roads, like Topsy, "never were
made, but just grew." Torrey's history says, "The prin-
cipal communication between Lunenburg and the new-
towns above was through the road by David Page's,"
now Pearl street. One of our ordinar}' wagons would
have found the four roads leading through Fitchburg at
the time of its incorporation in 1764 hardly passable by
them, and they were mostly used for travel on horseback.
It is recorded that the chaise in which rode the wife of
Rev. Mr. Cushing on her wedding journey from Westbor-
ough to Ashburnham in 1769 could proceed no further
than Fitchburg, owing to the condition of the roads, the
remainder of the journey having to be performed on
horseback. After the Revolution count}' roads were built,
and frequently in opposition to the will of a majority of
the inhabitants of the towns, on whom a separate tax
was laid for building and repairs. These roads were very
poorly cared for, and travel over them was difficult and
dangerous, but the effects of the war were felt by the
people for many years, and little money was available for
their improvement. Referring to county roads, a histo-
rian of Worcester writes, "From early days it was the
aim to have every bridle path, cart road, town or county
/
15G The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days.
road, if possible, point directly to Lincoln square or Un-
common in Worcester;" and the desire to have "all roadf
lead to Worcester" is not unknown even in our day in
the "Heart of the Commonwealth." Increasing travel
and the starting of the stage coach compelled the making
of the roads more safe for the new vehicles. This resulted
in the formation of Turnpike companies by the Legislature
for the building and care of roads and bridges, for the use
of which they could collect tolls from all passers-by.
Great promises were held out to induce investment there-
in, equal to that by the captains of industry to-day. An
era of speculation ensued, in which the amount subscribed
often far exceeded that called for, as in one instance on
record where in ten days 2275 applied, but only GOO
could be accepted, and it required a lottery drawing to
determine who should be the fortunate individuals to re-
ceive the coveted stock. The desire to speculate was as
great then as nowadays. The prospect of increase of the
value of their lands, and the fascinating hope of large
dividends, induced many to risk all they could raise in
these enterprises. In 1818 no less than three hundred and
seventeen pikes, with forty-five hundred miles of roadway,
had been constructed in New England and New York,
with a total capitalization of over $7,500,000. The pas-
sion of the builders was for a "bee line." No matter what
might be in the way, the pikes must turn neither to the
right or left, but if need be go over the highest hills, on
the theory that a straight line would always be the
shortest distance between two points, not realizing that
a curve around might be a less distance. Well laid out
and greatly reducing distances between towns, in many
cases they fairly altered the face of the country through
which they passed. Said an English writer, in his travels
in the United States in 1818, "Turnpike roads in New-
England are so abundant that traveling is facilitated in
all directions." The name "turnpike" originated from the
swinging bar or gate which detained the passers-b\- until
toll was paid. In some places the gates did not swing
on hinges, but were portcullises, reminding one of the
passage from Psalms— " Lift up your heads, O ye gates."
These roads multiplied the number of blacksmith shops,
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days. 167
stores and taverns on their route, and the landlord! were
among the most aetive promoters and directors of the
enterprise, on the patronage of which they were largely
dependent for their business.
In 1802 Ohio was admitted to the Union, the hill pro-
viding that five per cent, of the net receipts from the sale
of public lands in that state should be available for
the building of public highways to and through Ohio to
navigable waters emptying into the Atlantic; to be ap-
plied three per cent, within the state and two per cent,
outside of the state, — Congress to lay out the highways,
with consent of the states traversed. In 1806 work was
commenced on the Cumberland road — also known as the
National road — from Cumberland, Maryland, the western
terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, through
southwestern Pennsylvania, over the Alleghanies, to the
Ohio river at Wheeling, and was to be extended through
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to St. Louis. The services of
Henry Clay, its projector and chief supporter, in its behalf
are commemorated in a monument at Wheeling. One of
the most important national questions for many years
was the subject of "Internal Improvements," which for
over forty years agitated the political life of the country.
Thomas Benton declared that for the thirty years ending
in 1836, when it was abandoned to the states, the
Cumberland road had absorbed the public attention and
cost $6,070,000 of the people's money. The road was
sixty feet wide, of stone broken to pass through a three-
inch ring, covered with gravel and rolled down with an
iron roller. One who saw its constructive work wrote:
"That immortal Irish brigade, a thousand strong, with
their carts, wheelbarrows, picks, shovels and blasting
tools, graded the commons and climbed the mountain side,
leaving behind them a roadway good enough for an em-
peror." It is claimed that the first application of the
idea of macadam pavement in the United States was on
this road, and it was not used on the stage roads in
England until many years later. Some of the passes
through the Alleghanies were as precipitous as any in the
Sierra Nevadas, and the mountains as wild. Within a mile
of the road the country was a wilderness, but through
158 The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days.
the highway traffic was as continuous as in the streets of
a large town.
As many as twenty gaily painted mail coaches daily
passed with from four to six horses, making regular time
of ten miles per hour,— while between Hagerstown and
Frederick the twenty-six miles was covered in two hours.
One of these fast stage lines bore the unique name of the
"June Bug;" a line of freight wagons, whose rear wheels
were ten feet high, running from Baltimore to Wheeling,
was drawn by twelve horses, and carried ten tons each,
making almost as good time as the coaches. These, with
the long lines of canvas-covered wagons, drawn by six
or eight horses, with bars of bells on their collars, the
private carriages of the families of statesmen and mer-
chants, and gentlemen traveling singly in the saddle,
with all the accoutrements of the journey in their saddle-
bags, made this old highway between the East, West and
Southwest full of bustle in the palmy days of coaching,
unequaled by any other road in this country. Enormous
droves of cattle and sheep were .almost always in sight.
The rivers and creeks were spanned by stone bridges,
distances indicated by iron mile posts, and the toll houses
supplied with strong iron gates; the road was so well
constructed that it remained in good condition for years,
long after all systematic repairs had ceased. While the
Cumberland road was building twelve other great national
roads were laid out in the states and territories, making
a complete system of highways, and more or less work
was done in opening and constructing them. In addition
to direct appropriations, grants of land were made by the
states, and the labor of United States troops was occasion-
ally employed to aid in the work. The road and stages
on the "Old Cumberland" were kept by the contractors
in a fine condition to thereby influence the many Senators
and . Congressmen who journeyed over it to and from
Washington. It was on this road that the saying, "chalk-
ing his hat," originated, from a custom of the stage agent,
when tendering a free ride to a public official, of marking
in chalk on the favored individual's hat a hieroglyphic he
had adopted, to guard against drivers being imposed on
by bogus passes. In 1822 the regular appropriation for
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days, 1 59
the Cumberland road ceased with the veto of President
Monroe, and in 1830 President Jackson vetoed the bill au-
thorizing the government subscription to the "Old Lime-
stone road," as the Marysville and Lexington turnpike in
Kentucky was called. This was a highway to run from
Ohio to New Orleans, binding North and South together.
It was only completed from Lexington to the Ohio on re-
count of lack of government aid. Over it President Jack-
son was in the habit of driving with his coach and four
gray thoroughbreds through Kentucky on his way from
the Hermitage to Washington. It was, perhaps, at a toll
gate on this road, that a certain historic reply was made
to one of General Jackson's mounted escort, who had ridden
on ahead to announce the Presidential coach, and to ask
the amount of toll required. "The same as for any other
citizen of the United States," answered the old woman who
kept the toll gate, who was most likely a Clay Whig beneath
her outward show of Jacksonian Democracy. Government
expenditures for all projects of this nature were stopped
by the financial crisis of 1837, until about 1854, and since
that time the national government has done little if any-
thing except on military roads in the territories. In its
palmy days the Cumberland road was the finest in this
country, and for a part of the way followed the route of
General Braddock. The section from Cumberland to Balti-
more was so successful that for many years it yielded as
much as twenty per cent, annually, and not until near war
times did it fail to pay at least three per cent. It was
finally acquired by the State of Maryland, and made free.
As late as 1849 the annals of Cumberland announce that
for that year "the extent of travel over the National road
was immense," but four years later the steam ears arrived
at Wheeling and a new era had dawned, the stage lines
commenced to disappear, and in 185G the last stage was
withdrawn from the National road.
One of the first turnpike charters in Massachusetts
was granted for a road from Boston through South
Shrewsbury to Worcester, and was largely due to the
untiring efforts of Levi Pease, wdio was called the "father
of the turnpike." Many other charters followed, and
some proved very profitable, the turnpike from North-
1G0
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Day}
ampton to Pittsfield paying at this time twelve per cent,
dividends. The first road to reach Fitchburg was in-
corporated March 1, 1799, when Timothy Button, EH-
jah Hunt, John Barrett, Edward Houghton, Solomon
Vose, Caleb Mayo, David Mayo, Oliver Chapin, Josiah
Proctor, Oliver Estey, Samuel Sweetser, Hiram New hall,
Ebenezer Jones, Jonas Kendall, Philip Sweetser, EHsha
Ball, Caleb Alvord, Jonathan Levitt, Richard Iv. Newcoinb,
Solomon Smead, Jerome Ripley, Ezekiel Bascom, Daniel
Wells, Calvin Mann, Thomas W. Dickenson, and their suc-
cessors, were constituted a corporation by the name of
the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike Corporation.
The preamble to the act of incorporation reads:
"The highway leading from Northfield, in the county of Hampshire,
through Warwick and Orange to Athol, and also from Greenfield,
through Montague and unimproved lands up Miller's river to Athol
aforesaid, then through Gerry (now Phillipston), Templeton, Gardner,
Westminster and Fitchburg to Leominster, in the County of Worcester,
is rocky and mountainous, and the expense of straightening, making
and repairing the same through the said towns, so that the same may
be conveniently travelled by horses and carriages, is much greater than
reasonably ought to be required of said towns."
The charter called for a road from Captain Elisha
Hunt's tavern in Northfield through the towns named to
Westminster Meeting-House and from thence to Jonas
Kendall's tavern in Leominster, with a branch from Calvin
Munn's tavern in Greenfield to intersect the road at Athol.
The road was to be four rods wide and the traveled way
not less than eighteen feet wide in any place. Five toll
gates were established — one near where David Ma}ro keeps
a tavern in Warwick, "one between Greenfield and Athol,
one near where Samuel Sweetser keeps a tavern in Athol,
one near the line between Westminster and Gardner and
one near where Jonas Kendall keeps a tavern in Leomin-
ster." Rates of tolls were established as follows:
Each coach, phaeton, chariot or other four wheeled carriage drawn
by two horses 25 cents, and four cents for each additional horse.
Every cart or wagon drawn by two horses or oxen I2V4 cents, and
three cents for each extra horse or ox.
Every curricle, 1G cents, every chaise, chair or other carriage drawn
by one horse 12M> cents.
Every man and horse 5 cents.
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days.
161
Every sled or sleigh drawn by two horses or oxen 9 cents, and three
cents for every extra horse or ox.
Sleds or sleighs with one horse 8 cents, horses, mules, oxen or neat
cattle led or driven besides those in teams or carriages one cent each,
and sheep and swine 3 cents per dozen.
For unreasonably detaining any traveler, or charging
more than established tolls, the penalty was from two to
ten dollars. The corporation was liable for damage from
defective bridges or want of repairs to roadway. And any
person who broke down, or attempted to pass a toll gate-
without paying, was liable to a fine of from ten to fifty
dollars; for turning out of the road, and trying to evade
toll, by driving around the gates, the penalty was to be
three times legal toll.
The following went free:
All persons going to or from public worship, or with their horses or
cattle to or from labor on their farm, or to or from any grist mill and
on ordinary family business, and all persons on military duty, also all
"foot passengers."
A sign with rates of toll was required, fairly and leg-
ibly written in large or capital letters. The men of means
in the towns through which it passed, who subscribed for
the stock, were not without sound reasons for their faith
in the enterprise. Those were the days of stage coaches
and regular lines of professional teamsters, driving large
wagons, with four, six and eight horses, to and through
the towns ; and private teams of the farmers carried to the
metropolis whatever they had to sell and brought back
articles for home consumption. On steep grades the heavy
teams hired extra oxen or horses, or the teamsters joined
their teams together over the summit. Says a writer of
those days :
"The traffic over the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike was then very
heavy; a perpetual procession of heavily-laden wagons, healing livighls
of country produce to city markets, and retaining with assorted hum
chandise for the village stores. Forty or titty such wagons daily trav-
ersed the main road, averaging a freight of at least a ton each."
The general turnpike law required gates to be ten miles
apart unless especially provided otherwise. Loaded wagons
or carts carrying over 4500 pounds gross weight must
have wheels with felloes not less than three and a half
162 The Old Turnpike and 'Turnpike Days.
inches under penalty of paying triple toll; and for giving
wrong weight the fine was ten dollars, and the chaining
or fastening wheels of a loaded wagon— unless an iron shoe
not less than six inches wide and twelve inches long was
placed under the wheel— cost a tine from two to twenty
dollars. In 1800 a change of route was granted, on ac-
count "of the great inconvenience to travellers, to have the
road laid out by the Westminster Meeting-House," and the
gate between Westminster and Gardner was placed near
the "Old Jackson tavern," near where now stands the
store of S. W. A. Stevens at South Gardner.
All the gates were kept open until the entire road was
completed. The first annual report filed with the Governor
and Council, and now in the archives at the State House
in Boston, is as follows :
Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike road to the Proprietors, Dr.
1802.
Jan. 11. To the anit. of Sundry bills paid fur making road,
building Bridges, Toll Houses, etc., $-47,074-. 77
To the amt. of several sums paid for damage and
Cost to Proprietors of lands, etc.,
To the amt. of sundry accts. for charges, etc.,
Total, $54,(31)5 0G
Supra, Cr.
By the amt. of Toll reed to the 27th day of De-
cember, 1801, $1,542.20
Errors Excepted.
Rufus Stratten,
Joseph Pierce,
Directors.
No further reports are found until that of IS 19. But
recently I got track of the old records of the corporation,
which I found in an incomplete condition, but from which
a few items of the incidental life of the enterprise are
available. The first meeting was held at the house of
Oliver Chapin, innholder in Orange, and nearly every sub-
sequent meeting was at Field's tavern in Athol. There
were issued a total of sixteen hundred shares. This at
$100 each would indicate $160,000 invested in the com-
pany.
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days. !•;.;
In 1802 an extension was authorized from Athol to
the line of the state of New Hampshire at Richmond,
passing through the west part of Royalston, to connect
with a new county road. Persons traveling between Pe-
tersham and Royalston meeting-house on the old road,
also those not exceeding the limits of Athol, were ex-
empted from paying toll exeept at the Athol gate. In
1803 another extension from Warwick to Winchester, X.
IL, was started, and the Warwick gate moved to Orange.
June 23, 1803. Merrick Rice, Moses Hale, Oliver
Chapin, Zachariah Whitman, Nathaniel Ilolman, Jr., Calvin
Hale, John Stone, Metapher Chase, Samuel Ware, John
Prentiss and Phenias Whiting were incorporated as the
North Branch Turnpike Company.
This road extended from, the line of the State of New
Hampshire, between Fitzwilliam and Winchendon, to South
Ashburnham, through Scrabble Hollow in Westminster, to
the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike near Osborn's mills in
West Fitchburg.
The first meeting of this corporation was held at the
tavern of Stephen Hoar at Westminster on the sixth of
July, 1803. The town of Ashburnham voted to contribute
the sum of $500 towards the building of this road. The
rates of toll were the same as on the Fifth Massachusetts.
The Union turnpike was incorporated in 1804-, to
connect the Fifth Massachusetts from the foot of North
Monoosnock Hill, in Leominster, with the Cambridge and
Concord turnpike, via Harvard. Built in an air line, over
high hills and through deep valleys, it was intended as a
link of a through thoroughfare from Albany, Brattleboro
and Greenfield to Boston, but the better grades offered by
the Lancaster and Bolton turnpike established in 1S00
diverted business thereto, and the Union pike was soon dis-
continued. Commutation of toll is shown by a payment
of two dollars by Dr. Samuel Rice in August, 1S05, by
which he and his family, when going on his usual circle
of practice, were to be allowed to pass the gate in Athol,
until the first of January following. A frequent subject
before the directors was damage every spring from the
rushing waters and ice of Miller's river, carrying away
the bridges and washing away the roadway. In April,
1(34
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days.
1800, Thaddeus Coleman and others asked for compen-
sation on account of being detained by ice thrown into
the road by an extraordinary rise of Miller's river, to
which the directors responded by a vote, "not to allow
anything except the toil they did not pay at the time."
In 1811 a new gate was erected near Gurnie's tavern
in Montague, and additional toll was authorized, for every
cart or wagon drawn by more than four horses or oxen,
twelve and one-half cents, and two cents extra for each
additional horse or ox; "and if any person on their arrival
at or near either of the gates separate from his team any
horse or ox, with the intention to pass the same separately
through such gates and thereby avoid the payment of the
part of the toll allowed by said Company, he shall for-
feit two dollars therefor."
The different sections of the road were let out by con-
tract to keep in proper repair, and the directors appear
to have been the persons having charge, and payments
were made to them by the treasurer therefor.
The charters of all the turnpikes provided that, when-
ever the income had fully compensated the corporation
for all mone3's expended in purchasing, making, repairing
and taking care of the road, together with interest at 12
per cent, per year, the property should become vested in
the commonwealth and be at their disposal. This time,
however, never arrived, so far as the turnpikes in this
section were concerned. Commencing as early as 1810 a
dividend of 50 cents per share wras being paid on shares
of the corporation. The next year 75 cents was paid,
and for many years this continued to be the amount re-
turned to the stockholders. In 1818 $1.25 was paid, in
1820 only twenty-live cents, and in 1823 again returned
to 75 cents.
An act of June, 1815, authorized the corporation to
make changes in the route where it was deemed advisa-
ble; "to facilitate travel by going 'round instead of over
the hills, without increase of the length of way," and
changed the route in Athol near the cotton factory.
January, 1818, it was voted "that stage drivers may
pass each turnpike gate with wheels for $1 per week, pro-
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days. L66
vided none of them make any difficulty." In April of the
same year the directors voted "to induce Capt. Stephen
Brooks of Templeton to remove his dam and to pay the
damage already done to the turnpike road by means of
his dam being erected in Templeton or Gardner, supposed
to be $5."
A statement of the Treasurer made and accepted at the
annual meeting holden on the Ttli day of [anuary, 1819,
exhibiting an account of the affairs of the corporation for
the year ending Dec. 31st, 1818:—
Balance in the Treasury after the 18th dividend
was declared, Jan. 7th, 1818, $215.30
Anit. of receipts in Toll, etc. 4,161.08%
•St,:*?*;
Expenditures and disbursements for the year ISIS as
follows, viz. : —
The 19th dividend, declared April 13th, 1818, upon
1600 shares, of 50 cents each share, $MH) 00
Amt. of Toll gatherers wages for 1818. 4-70.40
Anit. of accts. allowed for Repairs and other in-
cidental expenses in 1818, 3,083.19
Balance in the Treasury on the 7th day of Jan.,
1811), 22.79?i
$4,376.3834
The following statement of the income and expenditures
of the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike for the year ending
December 31, 1819, on record at the State House in Bos-
ton, gives receipts : —
1819.
Jany 7. Balance in the Treasury, $22.79*4
Anit. of toll collected in ISli) as by Returns, 4,302.75
Cash collected of Nathan Stone in 1811 for an old
Bridge Iron, D.O'J
Cash for the rent of the Old Tollhouse in Gardner
for 1818, 12.50
Cash received from Gate No. 5, not included in Re-
turns, -4-0.33
$4,38l.06*i
Expenditures, etc.
20th dividend this day declared of 50c. each share, $800.00
Toll gatherers' wages for 1819, 4-70.40
166
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days.
Atnt. of accts. allowed for repairs in 1819, $2 702.57
A dividend of 25e. on eaeh share declared this 5th day of
Jany, 1820, it being the 21st dividend, 100.00
Balance in the Treasury, H ,,<,.-
$4,381 06%
Joseph Proctor, Clerk and Treasurer.
The following statement of the income and dividends
ot the Fifth Massaehusetts Turnpike Corporation was
made for the year ending January 20, 1823, viz.:
Amount of the toll collected at the several gates in the
year 1822, $4,190.38
Toll gatherers' wages, $4(37.60
Accts. allowed for repairs, 221.37
Net income for 1822,
Balance in Treasury on 3rd day of Jany, 1822,
2,681.47
$1,508 91
225.53
$1,734.44
A Dividend of 50c. on each share was declared April 8th,
amounting to 800.00
Balance in the hands of the Treasurer, Jany 20, 1823, 934.44
$1,734.44
In 1823 the North Branch turnpike wanted to substi-
tute one gate for two, -and collect double toll at this one.
This aroused great opposition, and the following remon-
strance was forwarded from Winchendon to the legisla-
ture :
" Because in this age and in this land of liberty turnpike gates are
ever)' where considered a nuisance and vexatious to travelers as well as
the turnpike roads themselves, which are generally the poorest roads
over which the traveler passes from one part of the country to another,
it is often the case that people are obliged to travel over a turnpike, to
he obliged to travel on a bad and dangerous road and to be frequently
and forcibly stopped and detained, and draughts made on their purses
and their patience. It is considered an infringement of liberty, a sort
of legalized robbery, and it is fast becoming intolerable. Your remon-
strants would therefore humbly, yet respectfully, suggest the propriety
of diminishing this great evil by improving every legal means to lessen
the number of gates."
44 Universally adopted by Town and sent to the Legis-
lature," as the record reads.
It is related that in 1824, on the occasion of General
Lafayette's visit to this country, every toll gate on his
journey was thrown freely open for him and his escort,
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days,
107
and the story is told of an old lady in charge of a turn-
pike gale in Connecticut, to whom a facetious traveler ob-
served^ "Well, madam, I suppose you are very glad Gen-
eral Lafayette has come, as you must have made oceans
of money to-day at the gates." To which the old lady
indignantly replied, "Sir, you must know that the General
and his friends go through this gate free of toll." "Oho,"
says he, "then your gate is free now." "Yes," replied the
dame, without a moment's hesitation, "for such men as
Lafayette, but not for those who come so far behind him."
About this time the growing feeling in the community be-
gan to manifest itself. Turnpikes were looked upon by
many people as great monopolies, and on some routes
the gates were carried off without notice to those tending
them by persons who did not believe any one ought to
have the privilege of obstructing the free way;— as in case
of a toll keeper in Pelham who awoke one morning to
find his gate gone, and on a bit of paper scrawled, "The
man who stopped the boy when going to the mill will
find his gate at the bottom of the hill."
In 1824 the directors voted to pay for labor on the
road "eighty-seven and a half cents per day for a man
and sixty-seven cents for oxen, cart and plow." In 1825
the toll gate No. 1, near Jonas Kendall's tavern in Leom-
inster, was removed to near the old Woodbury tavern, in
Pitchburg, where the old toll house can still be seen in a
time-worn state of preservation, being the only one of the
toll houses now remaining on the entire route of the old
road. In January, 1826, the stage drivers appear from
the following to be making trouble:
" Voted that the stage proprietors pay full toll after Saturday, the
4th inst., at the several gates, unless they paid all arrearages for the
regular stages and extras, and if they refuse the gates are to be shut,
and if the}' pass, or attempt to pass, by force, the Treasurer is ordered
to commence a suit for the penalty provided. Nevertheless, if they see
fit to pay $1 per week for each regular stage, the same rate for extra
coaches, and for all other extra stage carriages legal toll, they may
pass the gates at this rate, they paying all arrearages as aforesaid."
The Massachusetts Annual Register lor 1828 contains
a list of one hundred and four organized turnpike compa-
168
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Day
nies, which is evidence of the extent and importance of
the business at that time. But there were many of these
which had ceased to pay any dividends and were even a
burden to their owners. In June, 1829, by vote, the North
Branch turnpike decided to go out of existence by trans-
ferring the property to the County of Worcester. A prut
of the route is still in use, running from the state road in
West Fitchburg toward Winehendon, and a section ol the
old road is now covered by the Snow mill pond of Crocker,
Burbank & Co.
September 20, 1831, the Fifth Massachusetts Com-
pany voted to purchase four yoke of oxen and fifty bushels
of corn and to hire eight men to go to work on the first
of April next, but the officers evidently found it hard to
keep things going satisfactorily, as at a meeting ot the
proprietors held at the house of Joseph Young in At hoi,
on February 20, 1832, it was voted, "that the corpora-
tion is in favor of throwing open the gates of the turn-
pike, so that it may become a free road for the traveler,"
and the directors "were instructed to so throw open the
gates when they deem it advisable;" and it was also
voted that the corporation desire to relinquish their cor-
porative existence, and the directors were requested to pe-
tition the county commissioners of Worcester and Frank-
lin to discontinue the same as a turnpike and lay out the
same as a public highway.
On the record book the following report appears i)i
the last meeting on March 13, 1S33:
Receipts for the Year 1832.
Money collected during the year, $3,304.97
Paid Toll gatherers' wages, 121. OS
Leaving a net income of $2,883.89
Received for sale of gate No. 1, at Fitchburg, 60.00
Number 2, at Gardner, 68.00
Old House at Gardner, 33.Q0
Number five at the Grant, 51.00
Number six, in Montague, 50.00
Four yoke of Oxen sold, 212.50
Tools sold, 36.94
Bills paid for maintenance, $3,456.12
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike Days.
169
"It appears by said report that the money has all been expended but
$15, and that still remains in the hands of the Treasurer, March 1'-,
1832.
Signed,
Calvin Townsley, Benj. Estabrook, Ephriam Stone, Joseph Young,
and Stephen French, Directors of the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike."
Examination of the bills of maintenance of the road
mentioned in this report indicates that these directors,
individually, made all the repairs. It is very evident that
it had not proved a paying proposition. The stockhold-
ers' investment was a "permanent" one on which they
received nothing on the capital on the dissolution, and
had only enjoyed very meagre dividends during its con-
tinuance. The county commissioners accepted the road in
1833 and it was laid out as a county road.
This once busy thoroughfare is now but little used,
and that part located within the city limits, one of our
pleasantest pleasure drives, but few of our present citizens
ever call to mind that this, in its day, was one of the
great stage roads and thoroughfares from Boston to the
Connecticut river for all this section of the state.
The lot of keeping the toll gates, in many cases, fell
to the women of the family and those unable to do hard
work on the farm during the day. The pay received was
small and the job far from being an easy one, what with
the hot shot they were expected to swallow from the
people who did not see why turnpikes were allowed to
exist at all, and those who thought the charges for this
kind of a team were too high, and too little for the other
fellow's team, — like the driver of a small carriage who
wanted the man at the gate to allow him to pass by
and make the fellow with a heavy team pay toll enough
for both, taking up time in arguing that the light wagon
did ' not wear out the road, while the heavy team did.
Parties of young people in sleighing and straw rides had
to be closely watched, as they thought it great sport to
rush through the gates if they were open, and then shout
back to the gate-keeper. Others, if they could not get
prompt satisfaction for any fancied grievance, were like
the ruddy old farmer who declared "he would straight-
way enter a complaint at the head office of the firm that
cobbled this road for the benefit of us farmers who have
170
The Old Turnpike and Turnpike hays.
to bring our garden products to town so that you peo-
ple may live; it's a tarnation shame that we can't get
any satisfaction when we want it." But sometimes the
gatemarri came out ahead in the argument with the. "Wic-
kers," like the old darkey recently, on one of the southern
turnpikes yet remaining, where a big touring car had
twice rushed through the gates without stopping to pay
toll. The next time they made the attempt the negro
gate-keeper promptly shut the gate and brought them to
a halt; with indignation the half-dozen occupants of the
car declared they were entitled to pass without pay.
"Why, look at your own board," said the spokesman,
"it reads, 'every carriage, cart or wagon drawn by one
beast, two cents; every additional beast, two cents' ;
we're not drawn by any beast at all." "No, sah," says
the darkey, "but here's where ye come in," pointing to
another clause, reading as follows: "'Every half dozen
hogs, four cents,' an' three times four is twelve," he added.
The twelve cents was promptly handed over. It is related
that when the army, headed by General Sheridan and his
staff, left Winchester early in the morning, moving to-
wards Stephens City, the column, just as day was ap-
proaching, reached a toll gate on the Old Valley pike in
charge of a young and beautiful girl. Even war-hardened
Sheridan was not proof against the persuasion of a pair
of black eyes and a pretty face, and when toll was de-
manded straighway produced the tithe, setting an exam-
ple that was followed by his staff. " But," said Sheridan,
as he passed through the gate, " I cannot vouch for in v
army." Soon the soldiers came and the girl flgfiiil low
cied the toll bar and demanded Loll. This was met by
jeers from the guard, who marched on. All day long the
dusty troopers passed through, and all day Charlotte Hill-
man stood at her post. .For every ten soldiers who passed
the gate she cut a notch in the gate. When peace came
again over the North and South and the policy of the
administration at Washington was one of magnanimity,
Charlotte Hillman counted the notches on the toll gate
and sent her bill to Washington, and the bill was paid.
The last of the turnpike companies in Massachusetts
went out of existence many years ago, and only a short
The Old Turnpike and Tun/pike Days. 171
time ago the town of New Haven, by the payment of
$5000 to the Derby Turnpike Company, abolished the last
toll gates on the public highways of Connecticut. It was
at the old toll house on the Boston post road at the
Connectieut line near Greenwich that was removed a lew
years ago, that Washington and his escort were per-
mitted to pass free and were also given two barrels of
ale by the keeper's wife. In some sections of the country,
particularly in the West and South, the turnpike system
remains to this day in some degree, and but recently the
daily newspapers were filled with details of the "turnpike
war" in Kentucky, where the highways have been lor
several years gradually being made free, but the exactions
and quibbles of the companies had aroused the farmers
to violent measures against the toll gates.
A prominent writer, referring to the Kentucky revolt,
says: "Although the Kentucky farmers have resorted to
some violence to gain their points, their actions have at
no time equalled in riotous conduct those of the common
people of Wales about fifty years ago, when a similar
rebellion broke out against the turnpike system, and
which resulted in the highway being made free. In no
English-speaking country can this toll gate system be per-
petuated in these days. The people will finally rise with
violence if no other remedy is left to them." When the
system was inaugurated, however, it was thought to be
an equitable one, based on the principle that those who
used the roads should pay for their support, and in their
early days the turnpikes were a great advantage to the
country, and by them an impetus was given to improved
methods of road construction, "some of which are with
us to this day in our fine state roads. With the coming
of the locomotive the tide of travel was diverted from
the old highways, the day of the steam car followed, and
now again we see travel returning in a large measure to
many of the old roads with the swiftly moving auto,
giving to them something of the life and travel that they
enjoyed in the old departed days when the stage coach
was in its glory and the old wayside taverns were often
only a mile apart and the horse was the king of the
road.
FITCHBURG SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION
Rend nt n meeting of the Society, Mav 20, 1891
MY JAMES V. I). GARFIELD.
The opening of the Revolutionary War was signalized
by the gathering of the Massachusetts minute-men and
militia on the nineteenth of April, 177"), to repel the raid
of British troops sent out from Boston by Gen. Gage to
destroy the military stores gathered by the patriots at
Concord. The news of the midnight march of the hostile
forces, — the collision at Lexington green and the skirmish
at the North Bridge in Concord, — was spread by swift
couriers through all the neighboring towns and on to
more remote sections. Immediately the highways and bv-
ways were swarming with canned men on their way to
oppose the march of the British regulars. The news from
Lexington is said to have reached Pitchburg as early as
nine o'clock on the morning of the nineteenth, when signal
guns were fired and the company of minute-men, forty-
two in number, under Capt. Lbenezer Bridge, took up its
line of march, followed by the militia company number-
ing twenty-nine, under Capt. Lbenezer Woods. They
reached Concord the same evening, and on the following
morning continued their march to Cambridge, where they
joined the ranks of those who had pursued the British in
their disastrous rout on the day before.
Since this paper was read before the Society it has been carefully
revised and much information added regarding the personal history ni
the men who served on the quota of Pitchburg; and to this has been
added a list of such Revolutionary soldiers as made Pitchburg their
home in years subsequent to the war, but whose service was credited
to other towns. In collecting this additional information the writer is
largely indebted to the assistance of Hon. Ezra S. Stearns of this So-
ciety, without whose kindly aid the work could hardly have been un-
dertaken.
Fitchbitrg Soldiers of the Revolution, 173
Fitchburg, then a town but eleven years from date of
incorporation, with a population of probably not over
seven hundred, turned out a force numbering in all seventy-
one men. Lunenburg sent a company on the twentieth,
numbering sixty men under Capt. George Kimball, and
probably a company on the nineteenth, under Capt. John
Fuller, though the roll of this company has not been found.
Leominster sent three companies— one under Capt. John
Joslin, numbering forty-one men, one under Capt. Joshua
Wood, of thirty -four men, and one under Capt. David
Wilder, of twenty-four men. Of the latter company, six
were Lunenburg men. Westminster also sent three com-
panies—Capt. Noah Miles, sixty-seven men, Capt. John
Estabrook, twenty-six men, and Capt. Elisha Jackson,
twenty-five men. Ashburnham responded with two com-
panies— one of thirty-eight men, under Capt. Jonathan
Gates, and one of thirty-three men, under Capt. Deliver-
ance Davis. Ashby sent two companies — the first, under
Capt. Samuel Stone, of forty-six men, the second (April 20),
under Capt. John Jones, of thirty-one men; Town send
sent a company of fifty-seven men, under Capt. James
Hosley, one of twenty men, under Capt. Samuel Douglas,
and a squad of fourteen, under Lieut. Daniel Sherwin.
Shirley sent a company of eighty men, under Capt. Henry
Haskell. Thus it appears that this cluster of eight Worces-
ter and Middlesex towns sent forward in the neighbor-
hood of seven hundred men in response to the Lexington
alarm.
The retreat of the British troops from Concord and
Lexington, with the gathering of the patriot forces at
Cambridge, marks the beginning of the memorable siege of
Boston, whereby the hostile forces were confined within
the limits of that city and their supplies from outside ef-
fectually cut off, resulting in the evacuation of the city in
March of the following year.
After the stirring events of the nineteenth of April the
militia companies gathered at Cambridge were disbanded,
with a view to a better organization for active service.
and companies were immediately reorganized and men en-
listed to serve for eight months. A company was formed,
composed of thirty-nine men from Lunenburg and twenty-
174
Fitckburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
three from Fitchburg, under command of Capt. [ohn Pul-
ler of Lunenburg, with Ebenezer Bridge of Fitchburg as
lieutenant. Most of the Fitchburg men were from Capt.
Bridge's company of minute-men. Another company was
recruited, made up largely of* Lunenburg men, with seven
from Fitchburg, of which Josiah Stearns of Lunenburg
was captain, and William Thurlow of Fitchburg lieuten-
ant. Capt. Ebenezer Woods and eleven other Fitchburg
men enlisted under Capt. James Burt of Harvard.
While the quota of Fitchburg during the first years of
the war was supposed to be eighteen men, it appears
that there were at least forty-two men from the town
engaged for longer or shorter periods during the siege of
Boston, 1775.
A call was made the same year for thirteen thousand
coats for the patriot army, the requisition to be appor-
tioned on the several towns in proportion to the amount
of their last provincial tax. The schedule of apportion-
ment required of the town of Fitchburg, eighteen coats;
of Lunenburg, fifty-seven; of Leominster, forty-three; of
Westminster, thirty-seven; of Ashburnham, twelve; of
Ashby, twelve, and other towns in proportion. The eoats
were required to be made of good, plain cloth, preference
being given to that manufactured in this country, and
were to be delivered to the committee of supplies without
buttons. The selectmen were to cause a certificate to be
sewed to the inside of each coat, showing from what town
it came, and by whom it was made; and if the cloth
was made in this country, by whom it was made. '1 ne
town authorities were assured that the coats furnished
should be delivered to the men from the town which fur-
nished them, so far as possible, and the committee of sup-
plies were to have the coats "buttoned with pewter but-
tons," and the number of the regiment stamped upon the
face of the buttons.
In the years subsequent to the evacuation of Boston
repeated calls had to be made, and finally a draft was
resorted to, in order to keep the quota of the town lull.
In 1778 a return was made of the nude inhabitants of
each town of Worcester county, subject to military duty,
with the number of men then in service, and the deficiency,
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
175
if any, in the quota of each town. The towns of Lunen-
burg, Leominster, Westminster, Fitchburg and Ash burn-
ham were then included in the regiment of Col. Abijah
Stearns of Lunenburg.
as follows :
The returns for those towns
were
Lunenburg,
Leominster,
Westminster,
Fitchburg,
Ashburnham,
Number
of Males.
292
216
250
1 69
123
»ta,
-12
31
3G
24-
17
In Service
39
32
2~>
22
10
Deficient v
1 1
Not only was the town required to keep its quota of
men full, but it was also called upon to do its share in
keeping them supplied with provisions and clothing. In
1778 a requisition was made for each town to furnish as
many shirts, pairs of shoes and stockings as would sup-
ply the quota of the town, (equal to one seventh of all
its male inhabitants liable for military duty). For Fitch-
burg the number was twenty-four. The action of the
town under this call is stated in the following communi-
cation on file at the State house in Boston :
"An accompt of the several articles Collected from the inhabitants
of the town of Fitchburg for the Com* soldiers; and the price of each
article as follows viz:
Twenty-four pairs of shoes at 4-8/— each pair C57-12-0
Twenty-four pair of stockings at 30/— " " 30-00-0
Twenty-one woolen shirts at 00/ — " shirt 03-00-O
Three Linen Shirts at 40/— " " 0-00-0
Fitchburg Sept y« 18, 1778.
To John Wa-te, agent for the County of Worcester :
Sr. We here send you the things that we have collected and the
price of each article that we were obliged to give, as 3-011 may sec in-
ventory above. We have taken unwearied pains to Compleat our Goto.
Hut through sickness and want of Help we are Disappointed, and Cud
not make a seasonable Return ; for we knew not what we should Col-
lect before. Our spirit is Good but our Help is weak.
Signed David Goodkidc.e | Seicctnwn
Phinkhas Hartwell [ tor
Abraham Gibson | Fi[chburL
Elijah Carter
The purpose of this paper is to give the name, a brief
record of the service, and some facts relating to the per-
sonal history of every man who served on the quota of
17G Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
Fitchburg in the Revolutionary war, or who made the
town his home in the years after the war.
In specifying the service the term "Lexington alarm"
is used to designate those who responded to the alarm of
the 19th of April, 1775, and marched to Cambridge.
"Siege of Boston" implies service in the intrenchments
about Boston between April 10, 1775, and the evacuation
of that city by the British in March, 1776.
"Rhode Island service" includes the men who served
in the Rhode Island campaigns under different calls.
"Bennington alarm" applies to those who responded
to the call of Gen. Stark and Col. Warner, and marched
under Capt. Thurlow and Major Ebenezer Bridge; being
dismissed by Gen. Lincoln after marching ninety miles to
Charlemont.
"Continental service" includes all who enlisted into
the main army of Washington for terms varying from
three months to three years, or during the war.
The following list includes only those who arc known
to have served on
THE QUOTA OF FITCHBURG.
1. Joseph Adams, sergeant in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company of militia, April 19, 1775, marched in response
to the Lexington alarm.
lie was a son of Abraham and Mary (Adams) Adams, was born
in Newbury, Mass., Oetober 2S, 174-8, married in Newbury, February 22,
1770, Abigail Thurlow, a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Hale) Thur-
low, and a sister of Capt. William Thurlow of Fitchburg He came to
Fitchburg in 1773, and died here July 10, 177S, leaving two daughters.
He was buried i\X. South street cemetery, lie was a descendant of Rob-
ert Adams of Newbury, and not a relative of other families of Adams
in this town. Being at the time of his death collector of taxes, his
widow, Abigail, assumed the work of collection, and carried it on until
relieved by the choice of a new collector by the town.
2. Stephen Bailey was one of Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
minute-men, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, and served
in Capt. John Fuller's company, siege of Boston, 1775;
also in Capt. Elisha Jackson's company, Rhode Island ser-
vice, 1778.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
17
He was a son of Joseph and Lydia (Parker) Bailey, born in v
minster February 27, 1757.
3. Clark Bancroft served in Capt, John Fuller** coin-
pany in siege of Boston, 1775, and in 1777 he enlisted
for three years on the quota of Fitchburg, serving in Col.
Putnam's and in Col. Wesson's regiments.
He was a son of Dea. Timothy and Elizabeth (Gary) Bancroft,
born in Lunenburg (now Fitchburg), August 26, IT.")'.).
4. John Bancroft was one of Capt. Bbenezer Woods'
company, Lexington alarm, April 11), 177.").
He was a son of Dea. Timothy and Elizabeth (Gary) Bancroft,
born in Lunenburg (now Fitchburg) November 14-, L753. He removed
to Rindge, N. H., in 1777, and there resided over forty years, when he
removed to Union, Broome county, New York, where he died fane Hi,
1822. He married, June 20, 1770, Mary Newell, who died October 26,
IS 33.
5. Kendall Bancroft served in Capt. Blienezer
Woods' company, Lexington alarm, 1775; in Capt. Mnnas-
seh Sawyer's company, 1776, at Dorchester Heights; in
Capt. William Thnrlow's company, 1777, Bennington
alarm, and in Capt. John White's company at Boston,
177S.
He was a son of Joshua and Mary Bancroft, born in Worcester,
March 13, 1751. He lived in Fitchburg about ten years, beginning in
1773. He married, March 9, 1775, Susannah Euers, born December 2.
1750, daughter of Henry and Tabitha (Fox) Euers of Concord. Their
son Abel was born in Fitchburg March 21, 177G. They removed from
Fitchburg to Montague.
6. William Bean was one of Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company of minnte-men, marched with his company April
11), and served eight months, 1775, in Capt. John Fuller's
company in siege of Boston. In 1777 he was at Benning-
ton, in Capt. Thurlow's company, and the following year
a few weeks in Capt. Mirick's company at Boston.
He came to Fitchburg in 1773, married, 177S, Lydia Nutting, and
very soon removed.
7. Roger Bigelow served four enlistments on the
quota of Fitchburg. He was one of Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
178 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution,
company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, and served in
Capt. John Fuller's company in the siege of Boston, [n
1777 he served in Capt. William Thurlow's company, Ben-
nington alarm, and in September, October and November
of the same year he was one of Capt. Nathaniel Carter's
company, Col. Job Cushing's regiment.
He was a son of Uriah and Abigail (Pierce) Bigelow, born proba-
bly in Sudbury about 1750. He came to Fitchburg in 1770, married
here November 12, 1776, Elizabeth Russell, and two of their eight chil-
dren were born in Fitchburg. He removed, 1781, to Harvard, where he
died. His wife died May 1, 1802.
8. Dea. Kendall Boutell was a lieutenant in the
company of Capt. Ebenezer Woods, Lexington alarm,
1775. He served as private in Capt. Joseph Sargent's com-
pany at Rhode Island from May 5 to July 12, 1777, and
as lieutenant in Capt. William Thurlow's company, Ben-
nington alarm, 1777; also lieutenant in Thurlow's com-
pany at the capture of Burgoyne's army.
He was a son of James and Judith (Poole) Boutell, and was born
in Sudbury April 1, 1737. His parents removed from Reading to Sud-
bury about 1722, and there eight of their children were born. Later
1 1 icy removed (<► Lcoiiifnster, Kendall Ihuilcll nwirnril, April I, I 7i."
M,ii) Wilder, horn September ID, 1737, a daughter <.l (iartlncr and
Mary (, Phelps) Wilder of Leominster. Ik- removed to Fitchburg before
1764. He died October 19, 1819; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
9. Jonathan Boynton enlisted on the quota of Fitch-
burg July 10, 1780, and served six months in the Conti-
nental army.
He was a son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Wood) Boynton; was
born in Rowley, February 11, 1715-6. He came to Fitchburg about
17(>6. His wife, Elizabeth; died in Fitchburg, May 13, 1792. aged 12 ;
and he married, second, 1792, Alary Hodgkins, who died October 23,
1796. He died April 25, 1811.
10. Capt. Ebenezer Bridge was the leader of the
Fitchburg minute-men on the 19th of April, 1775, and
marched with his company to Cambridge. He rc-enlisted
for eight months' service and was commissioned lieutenant
of the company under Capt. John Fuller, in the siege of
Boston. As major he was in command of a regiment
which marched on occasion of an alarm at Bennington—
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
L79
the regiment being dismissed by Gen. Lincoln, after march-
ing ninety miles. He was also commander of a regiment
at Saratoga, sent to reinforce the army of Gen. Gates
previous to the capture of Burgoyne's arm v.
Capt. Bridge was a son of John bridge of Lexington, born Pcbru<
ary 3, 1742; he married, November 3, 1763, Mehitable Wood, born
December 23, 174-1, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Wood of Lunen-
burg. They had eleven children, all born in Fitchburg. Their home was
on the Riehardson road and the house is still standing. Capt [fridge
moved to Ilartland, Vt., about 171)0, where he died February 13, 1823
11. Phinkas Brown served in Capt. William Thur-
low's company, Bennington alarm, 1777; was a sergeant
in Capt. Thurlow's company, 1778, Rhode Island service,
and in Capt. Joshua Leland's company of guards at Hus-
ton, 1779.
He was a son of Joshua and Mary (Seaver) Brown, was born at
Cambridge, 174-2, and removed to Fitchburg in 1775. He married at
Milton, 1775, Lydia Badeock, who died in Fitchburg, October 3, 1809.
He married, second, at Rindge, N. II., June 6, 1811, Elizabeth (Perkins)
Sawyer, widow of Aimer Sawyer. She died May 1, 1820; he died
June 20, 1821. He and his two wives are buried at Dean Hill cemetery.
12. John Burhance [or Burhand] of Boston was
one of several paid recruits enlisted for the town of Fitch-
burg for three years' service in the Continental army in
1777, (return made by Capt. Jonathan Wood). He joined
Capt. Prothingham's company, Col. Crane's regiment.
He served other enlistments which were credited to other
towns. He never was a resident of Fitchburg.
13. John Buss, Jr., sergeant in Ebenezer Bridge's com-
pany, Col. John Whitcomb's regiment of minute-men.
marched on the alarm April 19, 1775, to Cambridge; also
private in Capt. William Thurlow's company, Bennington
alarm, August 22, 1777, under command of Maj. Eben-
ezer Bridge, by order of Gen. Stark and Col. Warner; dis-
missed after proceeding ninety miles by Gen. Lincoln.
He was born in Lancaster, January 3, 1 73D-4-0, son of John and
Eunice Buss of Lancaster, and after 1743 of Lunenburg (now Fitch-
burg). In 17.S0 he removed to Marlboro, X. H. He married January 1,
17(57, Mary Wood, a daughter of David and Mary (Hovey) Wood.
Five children were born in Fitchburg and three in Marlboro. There is
no record of his death. His widow died in 1S37.
180
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
14. Adam Caldwell enlisted April 3, 1781, on the
quota of Fitchburg, for three years' service in the Conti-
nental army.
He was taxed in Fitchburg in the years 1770 to 1771), inclusive.
In 17S0 (then of Ashby) he married Mary Upton. His tax in Pitch-
burg for 1781 was abated. A few years later he was a resident of
Rockingham, Vermont. He was one of the nine men raised in 1781 to
fill the quota of the town to the required number. To accomplish this
all those in the town subject to military duty were divided into nine
classes, and each class was required to furnish a man. This was done
by the offer of a bounty as an inducement to enlist. Adam Caldwell
received, in advance, £93 in hard money (about $4-05) and mileage for
ninety-five miles. Most of the others received as much and some of
them more. Their names were John West, Jonathan Fletcher, James
Williams, Peter Hawes, Nathaniel Russell, Amos Derby, Azariah Fuller
and Ca-sar Carter.
15. Christopher Capen is credited on the rolls in
the State archives to Fitchburg, for service in Capt. Ma-
nasseh Sawyer's company at Dorchester Heights in the
autumn of 1776. He never resided in this town.
16. Timothy Carlton served in Capt. Fuller's com-
pany on the quota of Lunenburg, in siege of Boston, 1775.
He enlisted June 2, 1777, on the quota of Fitchburg for
three years in the Continental army, joined Capt. Smith's
company, Col. Timothy Bigelow's regiment, was at the
capture of Burgoyne's army and experienced the rigors of
Valley Forge. He was discharged June 2, 1780. For this
service he was claimed by Lunenburg because he was a
resident of that town, but he was allowed on the quota
of Fitchburg.
He was a son of Abraham and Mary (Clark) Carlton, born in Lu-
nenburg, May 1, 1753. He removed to Charlestown, N. H.
17. Abijah Carter served three enlistments on the
quota of Fitchburg. He was one of Capt. Manasseh Saw-
yer's company at Dorchester Heights in the autumn of
1776; of Lieut. Samuel Stickney's company of Major
Bridge's regiment at Saratoga, 1777; and also served in
Capt. Boutell's company to reinforce the Continental
army three months in 1780.
lie was a son of Josiah and Tabitha (Hough) Carter of Leomin-
ster, born September 5, 1761. He married in Leominster, 1781, Nancy
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution* 181
Warner, and removed to Jaflfrey N. II. In 17*7 lie removed to Madge,
N. II., and a few years later to Bridgeton, .Maine, where lie died. They
had fifteen children.
18. C.ksar Carter enlisted on the quota of Pitch-
burg, December 3, 1781, to serve during the war in the
Continental army.
He was horn a slave in 1765. In the descriptive list his stature is
four feet nine inches, age sixteen years, complexion black He was the
last of nine men eidisted in 1781 for three years, to fdl the quota of the
town to the required number. Bach of the other men under this call
received a bounty of from eighty to one hundred and five pounds '"hard
money" and advance mileage, but in Casar Carter's case no bounty
is mentioned.
19. Thomas Cowdin was commissioned as captain
October 26, 1779, of a company in Col. Samuel Denny's
regiment, raised to reinforce the Continental army at New
York for three months. He was captain of the Fitchburg
company of militia in Col. Rand's Worcester County reg-
iment, commissioned July 0, 1780.
Thomas Cowdin, Esquire, was the eldest son of James and Janet
(Craige) Cowdin, and was born in Ireland, December 'J."), 1720. He
came in his boyhood to America, learned the trade of a blacksmith and
settled in Worcester. He married, November 19, 174-8, Experience Orejr
of Worcester. She died April 3, 1760, and he married, second, October
2, 1761, Widow Hannah Craig of Rutland. Mass. He was a veteran of
the French and Indian wars, — was engaged in the capture of Louisburg
in 1745, and was in command of a company in the military operations
in the vicinity of Crown Point in 1762. In 17G4 he came to Fitchburg,
purchased the inn of Samuel Hunt on Pearl street, later known as the
Gen. Wood place. He was a prominent and honored citizen of Fitch-
burg. He died April 22, 1792, and his widow, Hannah, died July . 30,
1822. Buried in South street cemetery.
20. Thomas Cowdin, Jr., served as corporal in Capt.
William Thurlow's company, Maj. Ebenezer Bridge's regi-
ment; and marched in response to the alarm at Benning-
ton, August, 1777, the company being dismissed after
marching ninety miles, by order of Gen. Lincoln.
He was the eldest son of Capt. Thomas and Experience (Grey)
Cowdin, born in Worcester, March 7, 1754, came wilh his father's family
to Fitchburg in 17(51; married, 1774-, Mary Farriugton oi Lunenburg.
He died in Fitchburg, April 3, 1835; his widow, Mary (Farrington),
died April 19, 1835, aged eighty-seven years; both buried in Laurel
Hill cemetery. They had thirteen children.
13
182 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
21. Jonathan Cummings was one of Capt. Ebenezer
Woods' company, Lexington alarm, and of Capt. James
Burt's company, siege of Boston, 177f>. lie enlisted May
10, 1777, for three years in the Continental army, and
served in Capt. Smith's company, Col. Bigelow'fl regiment.
He was at Valley Forge through the winter of 1777-78.
He was discharged May 10, 1780.
He was a son of Samuel and Sarah (Hastings) Cummings, horn in
Lunenburg, November 20, 1748. lie married, June 5, 1709, Hannah
Fletcher, a daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Houghton) Fletcher of
Lancaster. Pie lived in Fitchburg until 1826, when he removed to Ches-
terfield, N. H.
22. Nicholas Dan forth served in Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company, Lexington alarm, 1775.
lie was a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Hosley) Danforth, born in
Rillerica, Decembers, 1734. He came to Fitchburg in 1703. He married
in Billerica, March 30, 1758, Elizabeth Jaquith, a daughter of Abraham
and Hannah 4 (Farley) Jaquith. About 17S0 he removed to Hartland,
Vermont, where he lived ten or more years. He died at Stillwater,
New York, about 1810.
23. James Danforth served at Cambridge in 1778 in
guarding the prisoners of Gen. Burgoyne's army, being in
Capt. Peter Woodbury's company. The following year he
served one month and eleven days at Governor's and Cas-
tle Islands in Capt. Henry's company; and in 1780 he
enlisted for three months as a recruit to reinforce the
Continental army.
He was a son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Jaquith) Danforth, born
in Billerica, December, 28, 17G0. He married, November 28, 1782, Han-
nah Reed of Lexington, a daughter of William and Abigail (Stone) Reed.
He removed to Hartland, Vermont.
24. Samuel Danforth served in Capt. Wyman's com-
pany of Col. Patterson's regiment, siege of Boston, in the
autumn of 1775; in Capt. Joslin's company, Col. Cush-
ing's regiment, at Bennington, 1777. in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, Maj. Ebenezer Bridge, at Saratoga,
1777, and in Capt. Ephraim Stearns' company, of Col.
Wood's regiment on the Hudson river in 1778.
He was a son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Jaquith) Danforth, born
in Billerica, May 11, 1759, and came to Fitchburg in childhood. He
married, 1780, Sarah England, and soon after removed to Windsor, Vt.
I
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 183
25. Amos Derby was a veteran of the French and
Indian war, having served, 1755, from July to Deeemher
in Capt. Daniel Brewer's company ; in 1757, from April to
October in Capt. Thomas Adams' company. In the Revo-
lution he served eight months, 1775, in Capt. Joseph But-
ler's company, in siege of Boston; a sergeant in Capt.
Jesse Wvman's company at Rhode Island from May 7 to
May 30, 1777, and in June, 1777, he enlisted on the quota
of Concord into the Continental army for three years,
serving in Col. Bigelow's regiment. lie removed to Fitch-
burg in the early spring of 1781, and here enlisted, May
1, 1781, into the Continental army for three years, 'on the
quota of Fitchburg, receiving therefor a bounty of £93 and
advance pay for ninety-three miles travel. He was dis-
charged from the service by reason of disability, after serv-
ing some over two years. His discharge paper, signed by
Gen. Washington and Jonathan Trumbull, dated July 10,
1783, is still preserved by one of his descendants of the
third generation, Mr. James P. Derby of this city.
Amos Derby was a son of Ebenezer and Eunice (Tarbox) Derby,
was born in Concord, December 30, 1732, and died in Fitchburg in 17s-t
or earlv in 1785; buried in South street cemetery.
26. Joseph Downe was in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company of minute-men, April 19, 1775, Lexington alarm,
and was a sergeant in Capt. William Thurlow's company
at Saratoga, 1777.
He was a son of William and Margaret (Fitch) Downe, was born
in Boston, December 30, 1742. The family moved to Lunenburg (now
Fitchburg), when Joseph was three years of age. He married in 17(ks
Martha Wood, born in Lunenburg, July 15, 174-9. daughter of David
and Mary (Hovey) Wood. They lived in Fitchburg, where he died Feb-
ruary 20, 1828; his wife, Martha, died June 29, 1812; both buried in
Laurel Hill cemetery. They had eight children.
27. Samuel Downe was one of Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company of minute-men April 19, 1775, and served in Capt.
John Fuller's company, siege of Boston, 1775; in Capt.
William Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm, 1777,
and in Capt. Thurlow's company, 1777, at Saratoga.
He was a son of William and Margaret (Fitch) Downe, born Jan-
uary 17, 174-5. He married, January 1, 1771, Eunice Went worth, born
in Harvard, December 18, 1750, daughter of Moses and Mindwell (Stone)
184 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
Wentworth. Three of their children were born in this town. They re-
moved to Vermont about 1780. He died in Cavendish, January 8, 1830
Eunice, his widow, died November 28, 1841.
28. Edward Ellsworth served in Capt. Bridge's com-
pany of minute-men, April 19, 1775, enlisted in Capt.
Thomas Mighill's company, Col. Baldwin's regiment, siege
of Boston, and participated in the battle of Bunker Hill.
lie was a son of Thomas and Lucy (Hidden) Fllsworth, was born
in Rowley, Mass., March 2f>, 174-7; married, April 5, 1770, Sarah Dick-
inson, who died January 18, 1771. He married, second, March 2, 1772,
Mar}' Jewett. They removed to Fitchburg in 1773, where two children
were born. He removed about 1780 to Littleton.
29. Abraham Farwell was a corporal in Capt. Eben-
ezer Bridge's company whicli marched on the alarm from
Lexington, April 19, 1775. He remained at Cambridge
until May 2.
He was a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Moors) Farwell, born at
Groton, August 18, 1743. He came to Fitchburg 1769, married, 177<»,
Priscilla Thurston, a daughter of Dea. John and Lydia (Kimball) Thurs-
ton. Fight children were born in this town. Record of his death is not
found. She died December 31, 1S37.
30. John Farwell served in the Lexington alarm,
being a corporal in Capt. Ebenezer Woods' company on
the 19th of April, 1775. Service six days.
He was a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Moors) Farwell, born in
Groton January 27, 1745. He came to Fitchburg in 17GG, married,
1769, Sarah Hovey, born in Boxford, November 19, 1746, daughter of
Abijah and Lydia (Graves) Hovey of Lunenburg. They lived in Fitch-
burg, date of death not recorded.
31. Joseph Farwell was one of Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company of minute-men, April 19, 1775; joined
Capt. John Fuller's company, served eight months in the
siege of Boston, 1775.
lie was a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Moors) Farwell, born in
Groton, March 27, 1754. He came to Fitchburg just before the open-
ing of the war, married, August 27, 1777, Eunice Goodridge, youngest
daughter of Dea. David and Elizabeth (Martin) Goodridge. He lived in
Fitchburg, where he died December 15, 1S27.
32. Levi Farwell was one of Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company of minute-men, and responded to the alarm ol
FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 1 55
April 19, 1775, remaining in the service thirteen days.
He was a temporary resident here, and soon removed to
Chesterfield, N. H., and there enlisted in June, 1777, for
three years, serving in Col. Seammel's regiment. He was
discharged in January, 1778.
He married, 1 780, Judith Bingham, and disappears from the records
of Chesterfield about lSOf).
33. Jonathan Fletcher came to Fitchburg in 1780,
served on the quota of the town three months to re-
inforce the Continental army, from July 20 to October 10,
1780. He reinlistcd April 9, 1781, into the Continental
army for three years, being one of the nine men raised by
the town that year by the payment of bounties. He re-
ceived the highest amount of any of the number— one hun-
dred and five pounds hard money, and mileage in advance.
He was a son of William and Mary (Blodgett) Fletcher, born in
Litchfield, N. IL, December 31, 1747. Previous to his removal to this
place he had served one or more enlistments. He married, 1784, Rebecca
Corey of Chelmsford. He lived in the northwest part of this town,
removing some time after 1790 to Chelmsford. He was a mason In-
trade.
34. Joseph Fox, a faithful and honored townsman of
Fitchburg, came here from Littleton in 1772. In October,
1774, he was chosen second lieutenant of the Fitchburg
company of militia. He was first lieutenant of Capt.
Ebenezcr Bridge's company of minute-men, and marched
with the company at the Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775,
remaining at Cambridge nineteen days.
Joseph Fox, Esquire, was one of twelve children of Capt. John and
Sarah (Hoar) Fox of Littleton, where he was born June 20, 1 74-4- ;
married Mary Tuttle of that town, and on removing to Fitchburg com-
menced business as a shoemaker. He soon opened what was long
known as the "red store" on the spot now occupied by Dickinson's
block, where he carried on an extensive business in general merchandise.
He held a commission as justice of the peace, and during his active ca-
reer was chosen to many positions of honor and trust. In 1775 he
succeeded Thomas Cowdin as town clerk, and in May of the same year
was chosen delegate to the Provincial congress to be held at Watertown.
For four years he represented the town in the General Court. He died
February 13, 1823; his wife, Mary, died February 14-, 17i>4; both bur-
ied in South street ceineter}'. Of their six children, Oliver became a
prominent manufacturer in Fitchburg.
186 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
35. Benjamin Frost served in Capt. William Thur-
low's company under command of Major Ebenezer Bridge,
on the alarm at Bennington in August, 1777.
He came to Fitchburg in 1772, and married, December '.'>, of that
year, Rachel Kimball, a daughter of Ephraim and Mary (Wetherbee)
Kimball. He lived here until 1783, when he removed to Jaflrey, X. II.,
where he died, April 12, 1819.
36. Timothy Fullam served in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, and in Capt.
John Joslin's company at the battle of Bennington, 1777.
He was a son of Francis and Susannah (Hammond) Fullam, born
in Weston, December 3, 174-2. He married, 1765, Elizabeth Thompson;
removed, 1798, from Fitchburg to Cavendish,' Vt., and in 1818 to Rend-
ing, Vt., where he died September 10, 1829. Francis Fullam, the father,
a son of Jacob and grandson of Hon. Francis Fullam, removed from
Weston to Lancaster, and from Lancaster to Fitchburg, previous to date
of incorporation. He died February 8, 1807, aged ninety years. His
sons were Timothy, Francis, Phineas, Jacob and Oliver, and all were
soldiers in the Revolution.
37. Francis Fullam served on the quota of Fitch-
burg in Capt. Elisha Jackson's company, Rhode Island
service.
He was a son of Francis and Susannah (Hammond) Fullam, and
grandson of Jacob Fullam, who was killed in an encounter with the
Indians known as Lovewell's fight, May 8, 1725, at Fryeburg, Me. It
is said that he and his adversary both fell at the same instant by each
others' shot. An old song has the following:
"Young Fullam, too, I'll mention, because he fought so well;
Trying to save another man, a sacrifice he fell."
Francis Fullam left Fitchburg and settled in Fitzwilliam, N'. H .
w.'?i."/i r»c :iK'h It-fc'hraarj Vi, "irw..
38. Phineas Fullam served in Capt. Ephraim Stearns'
company, of Col. Ezra Wood's regiment, with the army
on the Hudson river, seven months, in 1778.
He was son of Francis and Susannah (Hammond) Fullam, born in
Weston, February 26, 1749. He married, December 2G, 1775, Lucy
Lamson of Concord, and removed, 1779, to Chesterfield, N. H., where
he died August 4-, 1823.
39. Jacob Fullam served in Capt. William Thurlow's
company on the alarm at Bennington, 1777.
He was son of Francis and Susannah (Hammond) Fullam, born in
Lancaster, September 13, 1757, and came to Fitchburg with his father's
family previous to the date of incorporation. He married Lois .
FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 1 HI
and ten children were born in Fitchburg, 1785-1807. He died Febru-
ary 8, 184-0; Lois, his wife, died October 17, 18 1J-; buried at Laurel
Hill cemetery.
40. Oliver Fullam served in Capt. John Joslin's
company of Col. Job Cushing's regiment and was en-
gaged in the battle of Bennington; also in Capt. Bphraim
Stearns' company seven months in 177.S, on Hudson river.
Son of Francis and Susannah (Hammond) Fullam, horn in Lancas-
ter, November 29, 1761. He married, September 27, 1 TiK-i, Elizabeth
Barrett. Ten children were horn in this town. He died November 17,
183(3. His widow, a pensioner, died February 23, 1852. Both buried
in Laurel Hill cemetery.
41. Azariah Fuller enlisted July 11, 1781, for three
years on the quota of Fitchburg, and served in Capt.
Wottles' company of the Continental army until 1783. Ik-
received on enlistment a bounty of one hundred and two
pounds, uhard money" and advance mileage.
He was a son of Nehemiah and Alary (Conant) Fuller, horn in
Fitchburg, May 28, 1764. He married, 1784, Mercy Bemis, daughter of
Zaccheus and Elizabeth (Lyon) Bemis of Westminster. He lived in
Westminster, Somers, Conn., Oakham and Rutland. In 1800 he re-
turned to Fitchburg and here resided until 1841, when he removed to
Hingham, where he died March 12, 1840. In 1810 he was one of the
eight pensioners resident of Fitchburg.
42. Joseph Fuller served in Capt. William Thur-
low's company, Major Ebenezer Bridge's regiment, at Sar-
atoga, 1777; in Capt. Ephraim Stearns' company of Col.
Wood's regiment in 1778; service on the Hudson river.
He was son of Nehemiah and Mary (Conant) Fuller, born in Fitch-
burg, July 22, 1759. He married, 1781), Eunice Dodge, daughter of Seth
and Sarah (Smith) Dodge. He lived in Notown and in Fitchburg until
1834. He died in Holden, October 20, 1837.
43. Nehemiah Fuller served in Capt. Thomas Cow-
din's company at Clavernack, three months in 1779, and
three months in the Continental arm}- in 17S0.
He was son of Nehemiah and Mary (Conant) Fuller, born in Fitch-
burg, July 23, 1762. He married, April 16, 17S9, Hannah Wiswall
(Newhall in Worcester records). He lived in Fitchburg until after 1700.
44. Stephen Fuller served in Capt. John Fuller's
company, in siege of Boston, 1775; from June to Novem-
ber, 1776, he was in Capt. William Warner's company,
188
Fitcliburg Soldiers of the Revolution*
Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment, on duty near Boston. In
December, 1777, he enlisted for three years' service in the
Continental army, joining Capt. Sylvanus Smith's com-
pany, of Col. Timothy Bigelow's regiment; discharged
June 2, 1780. In this service he was claimed by Lunen-
burg, but was allowed on the quota of Fitehburg.
He was the eldest son of Nehemiah and Mary (Conant) Puller,
born in Fitehburg, August 19, 1757. lie married, February 4-, 1781,
Anne Lippenwell, daughter of Reuben and Anna (Wyman) Lippenwell
of Lancaster. He left Fitehburg soon after his marriage. He died in
Lee, April 25, 1835. (Another record says he died July 21), 1834).
45. Elijah Garfield, at the Lexington alarm served
as sergeant in Capt. David Wilder's company of minute-
men from Leominster, and was in the service ten days.
He was a son of Benjamin and Abigail (Harrington) Garfield, and
grandson of Samuel and Mary (Bowman) Garfield; was born in YYal-
tham, 1741. His father was killed by the Indians, 1756. Elijah Gar-
field, married in Leominster, May 21, 1771, Jane Nichols, born Febru-
ary 24, 1747, daughter of Israel and Lucy Nichols. The same year he
settled in this town. He carried on the tannery business and built the
mansion house on Pearl street, opposite the head of Lincoln street,
which is still shimlinr.. lb- died Mutch ::.'., I7M-; Imrinl
IcineU I y
the
»1ii I It hi i.
Soillll
>l i iiiiiin II I ill town .i Han s
and frequently a committee to fill the several quotas, llis widow, Jane
(Nichols), married second, March S, 1801), k'ev. i'hinehas Whitney oi
Shirley. She died in Shirley, March 4, 1824.
46. Benjamin Gary enlisted February 28, 1777, into
the Continental army on the quota of Fitehburg, for three
years, and by re-enlistment continued in the service until
1783. His father, Thomas Gary, served in the same com-
pany, both being in Capt. Joseph Morse's company, later
Capt. Gardner's company of Col. Rufus Putnam's regi-
ment.
Son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Farwell) Gary, born in Fitehburg,
September 19, 1700. He married in Fitehburg, 1 784, Sarah Davis. He
removed about 1780 to Shirley.
47. Thomas Gary served in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, ami was cor-
poral in Capt. John Fuller's company in siege of Boston,
1775. In 1777 he served in Capt. William Thurlow's
company, Bennington alarm, and the same year he enlisted
.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 189
for three years, serving in Col. Rufus Putnam's regiment,
and by re-enlistment he continued in the Continental ser-
vice as late as April, 1781.
lie was born about 1787, son of Benjamin Gary, who settled early
on a farm adjoining the farm of Dea. Timothy Bancroft, near the site
of Burbank Hospital, lie married, February 21, 1700, Elizabeth Par-
well of Townsend, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Moors) Par-
well, born in Groton, January 19, 1731). Three children were born in
this town. After the war he removed to Leominster.
48. Isaac Gibson was one of the twenty-nine men in
the company under Capt. Ebenezer Woods, which marched
in response to the alarm at Lexington, April 19, 1775, —
served eleven days.
He was a son of Dea. Timothy and Rebecca (Gates) Gibson, born
in Sudbury, April 27, 1721, married first, February 4, 174-4, Keziah
Johnson, born September 27, 1725, daughter of Dea. Samuel and Re-
becca Johnson of Lunenburg. She (the mother of all his twelve chil-
dren), died February 7, 1760. He married second, November 27, 1700,
widow Abigail Bennett of Leominster. About 1744, he and his brother
Reuben came to Lunenburg (now Fitchburg), and settled on Pearl hill,
on adjoining farms. In the perilous times of the French and Indian
wars, Isaac's house was one of the five garrison houses in the limits
of the future town of Fitchburg. He was a prominent and useful citi-
zen— active and helpful in town affairs. About 1787 he removed with
other members of the family to Grafton, Vt., where he died June 1,
1797. His widow died there, November 20, 1808, aged eighty-one years.
Five of his sons served on the quota of Fitchburg.
49. John Gibson was a private in Capt. Ebenezer
Woods' company, April 19, 1775, Lexington alarm; en-
listed in Capt. Abijah Wyman's company, Col. William
Prescott's regiment, — was engaged in the battle of Bunker
Hill, in which action he was killed.
He was a son of Isaac Gibson (No. 48 above), born July 20, 1747;
married, September 1G, 1766, Hannah Martin, daughter of John and
Elizabeth Martin of Lunenburg. She married second, 17S0, Phineas
Farnsworth of Harvard. So far as known, John Gibson was the only
Fitchburg soldier killed in battle during the war.
50. Nathaniel Gibson was in Capt. El>enezer Bridge's
company of minute-men, Lexington alarm, April 19, 17 75,
and enlisted in Capt. John Fuller's company, siege of Bos-
ton, the same year, for eight months' service.
190 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
He was a son of Isaac Gibson (No. 48 above), born February 22,
1753; married first, June 25, 177G, Hannah Brown, born 175::, daugh-
ter of Daniel and Anna (Bright) Brown of Lexington; married second,
July 6, 1791, Mrs. Kesiah Hay ward of Grafton, Vt. He removed with
others of the family to Grafton, Vt., and died at Salisbury, Vt., before
1824- ; eight children.
51. Jonathan Gibson was a member of Capt. Bridge's
company of minute-men, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775,
marched to Cambridge, and served in Capt. John Puller's
company, in the siege of Boston, 1775.
He was a son of Isaac Gibson (No. 48 of this list), born December
22, 1754- ; married, 1778, Bathsheba Bennett, daughter of Mrs. Abigail
(Bennett) Gibson, his father's second wife. By an agreement signed in
1786 he was to provide a home for his father and step-mother during
their lives. He removed to Grafton, Vt.
52. David Gibson was corporal in a company com-
manded by Capt. Joseph Sargent of Princeton, sixty-seven
days, May to July, 1777, service at Rhode Island, under
Gen. Spencer.
He was a son of Isaac (No. 48 of this list), born January, 22,
1757; married, April 29, 1778, Anna Barton of Sutton. He was a
baker; his house was on the site of the present city hall (the first house
built in this part of the village) and his bakery was " across the road
from his house," on the lot known as the Kbenezer Torrey place. He
removed with his brothers and father to Grafton, Vt.j where he was
living as late as 1815. His wife died in Grafton, November 23, 1815,
aged fifty-nine years. Eight children.
53. Solomon Gibson served twenty-five days in Capt.
William Thurlow's company, under Maj. Ebenezer Bridge,
at Saratoga, called out to reinforce the army of Gen.
Gates, previous to the surrender of Burg03me's army.
He was a son of Isaac Gibson (No. 48 of this list), born November
19, 1758; married, January 27, 1785, Sarah Willard. He died in Fitch-
burg, March 17, 1820. They had nine children.
54. Capt. Reuben Gibson was sergeant in Capt. Eben-
ezer Woods' militia company, which marched in response
to the alarm of April 19, and served eleven days.
He was a brother of Isaac (No. 48 of this list), born in Sudbury.
February 14, 1725; married, November 13, 174G, Lois Smith o( Sud-
bury, born November 1, 172G. He settled on the easterly slope of Pearl
hill, his farm adjoining that of his brother Isaac — the deed of land from
their father bearing date 1744, which probably marks the date of their
Fitchbnrg Soldiers of the Revolution. 191
settlement here. He was called to important positions in town affairs,
being chosen selectman of Fitchburg on the incorporation of the town,
and often appointed on important committees,— his title of captain being
acquired in the town militia. Four of his sons served on the quota of
Fitchburg. He died July 27, 1800; his widow died November 22, 1816;
both buried in South street cemetery.
55. Reuben Gibson, Jr., a private in Capt. Bbenezer
Woods' militia company, marched in response to the alarm
of April 19, 1775 — service six days.
He was a son of Capt. Reuben and Lois (Smith) Gibson (No. 54
above), born in Fitchburg, September 21, 1 748 ; married, February 8,
1774-, Betsey Gibson, born in Stow, Mass., June (">, 1750, a daughter of
Jonathan and Mary (Forristall) Gibson. He died April 20, 1836; his
wife died September 12, 1824- ; both buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
56. Abraham Gibson was in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company of militia which marched on the alarm at Lex-
ington, April 19, 1775; in Capt. Nathaniel Carter's com-
pany, one month fifteen days, autumn of 1777, "at the
northward;" in Capt. John White's company, spring of
1778, service two months and twenty-three days, at and
about Boston ; in Capt. Peter Woodbury's company of
guards, three months, July to October, 1778, at Cam-
bridge; and in Capt. Timothy Boutell's company, three
months, July to October, 1780; raised to reinforce the
Continental army.
He was a son of Capt. Reuben and Lois (Smith) Gibson (No. 54-).
born August 15, 1752: married, October 13, 177S, Mary Brown, born
in Lexington, May 5, 175S, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Bright)
Brown. About 1795 he removed to Ashburnham, and from there a few-
years later to Leicester, Vt., where he died April 10, 1829; his widow-
died March 3, 1835.
57. Thomas Gibson was in Capt. Josiah Stearns' com-
pany in 1775, siege of Boston; also in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, under Maj. Bridge, to reinforce Gen.
Gates in the autumn of 1777, and was present at the sur-
render of Burgoyne's army; and served in Capt. John
White's company, two months nineteen days, spring of
1778, at and about Boston.
He was the fourth child of Capt. Reuben Gibson (No. 54- of this
list), born at the Pearl hill home, November 19, 1753; married, April 1,
1783, Relief Hartwell, daughter of Phineas and Mary (Pierce) Hartwell
192 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
of Fitchburg. Soon after his marriage he removed to Ashburnham, set
tied on a farm in the southeasterly part of the farm, and died there
June 11, 1841. He was a pensioner in the latter years of his life. Hii
widow, Relief (Hartwell), died October 11), 1849.
58. Bezaleel Giljson was in Capt. William Henry's
company one month and eleven days, October and Novem-
ber, 1778, at Castle and Governor's Islands, Boston.
He was a son of Capt. Reuben Gibson of Pearl hill (No. '^ of this
list), born 1761; married. November 23, 17S4-, Lois Hillings of Acton,
Mass. He removed to Ashby, where he died November 17, 1840. His
widow died in Ashby, October 27, 185+.
59. Lieut. Abraham Gibson was a private in Capt.
Ebenezer Woods' company, Lexington alarm, April 19,
1775; service seven days.
He was a nephew of Isaac and Capt. Reuben (of this list), son of
Abraham and Mary (Wheeler) Gibson of Stow, born June 25, 173f>.
He married Esther Fox, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Fox of Con-
cord, Mass.; came to Fitchburg in 1 708, and was a resident here twelve
or more years. He died in Lunenburg, September 9, 1813. His widow
died in Rindge, N. PL, April 30, 1803. He had been a lieutenant in the
French and Indian war. He had eight children, five of whom were
daughters. Of these, Mary married William Wyman of Lunenburg,
Rebecca married John Priest of Fitchburg, and Lucy married Peter
Adams of Townsend, all Revolutionary soldiers. Among his descend-
ants who have made themselves famous are the well known artists,
Charles Dana Gibson and the late William Hamilton Gibson.
GO. Joseph Gilson was in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company of minute-men, Lexington alarm, April 19,
1775; enlisted in Capt. John Fuller's company, Col. Asa
Whitcomb's regiment, in siege of Boston. In 1777 he en-
listed for three years' service in the Continental army on
the quota of Fitchburg and served in the company under
Capt. White in Col. Putnam's regiment. At the expiration
of two years' service he reenlisted for three years or dur-
ing the war, serving in same company and regiment.
He was a son of Jonas and Hannah (Goodridge) Gilson, born in
Lunenburg, September 16, 1738. He married in Fitchburg, May 5,
1768, Esther Pierce, a daughter of David and Elizabeth (Bowers) Pierce.
Soon after the war he removed to Walpole, N. H.
61. David Goodale served in Capt. James Burt's com-
pany in the siege of Boston, 1775.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 198
A son of David and Lydia (Putnam) Goodale, horn at Salem Vil-
lage, now Danvers, December 10, 1738; he married, at Bolton, April 10,
1704, Elizabeth Hutchinson, born at Middleton, Mass., February V, '
1717, a daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Richardson) Hutchinson Ik-
removed to Fitchburg in 1708, living in the south part of the- town,
where he and his father owned a mill. After the Revolution he lived in
Jaffrey, Amherst, Milford, and other towns in New Hampshire. He died
in Hillsborough, N. II., June 20, 1829. His wife died August 29, 1835.
He was the great-grandfather of former governor David II . Goodcll of
Antrim, N. H. His parents lived here several years and his brother,
Andrew Goodale, born November 11, 1705, married Patty Haskell, and
lived many years in Fitchburg, dying at Amherst, Mass. His sister
Judith, born April 20, 1701, was the wife of Daniel Harris (No >)7 oi
this list). [The Fitchburg Historical Society is indebted to Lucy Hall
Greenlaw for the record of this soldier].
62. Asaph Goodridge served in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775; in Capt. Ma-
nasseh Sawyer's company, in siege of Boston, 1775, and
in Capt. William Thurlow's company at Saratoga, 1777.
He was a son of Dea. David and Elizabeth (Martin) Goodridge,
born in Fitchburg, June 28, 1751. He married, May 20, 1774, Phebe
Walker. Nine children were born in this town.
63. Ezekiel Goodridge served on the quota of Fitch-
burg in Capt. Manasseh Sawyer's company, Col. Nicholas
Dike's regiment, at Dorchester Heights in 1776.
He was a son of Ezekiel and Rebecca (Goodridge) Goodridge, born
in Lunenburg, May 5, 1755. He was a resident of Lunenburg in 1700,
but no record of his death has been found.
64. John Goodridge served in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
compan}' of minute-men Lexington alarm, and in Capt.
John Fuller's company, siege of Boston, 1775. He was a
corporal in Capt. John Joslin's company at Bennington,
1777. He was a major in the militia.
He was a son of Dea. David and Elizabeth (Martin) Goodridge,
born in Fitchburg, March 17, 1755. He married, 1768, Desire Nichols,
born February 14, 1755, daughter of Israel and Lucy Nichols of Leom-
inster. She died in 1788. He married second, 17S0, Prudence Butler.
He died April 13, 1831; buried in South street cemetery.
65. Abraham Hager was a member of Capt. Eben-
ezer Woods' company, Lexington alarm, and of Capt.
James Burt's company, siege of Boston, 1775. In 1777
he enlisted in the quota of Shrewsbury, and served three
years in the Continental army.
194
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
He was a son of William and Mary (Warren) Hager, horn in Wes-
ton, March 11, 1755. He married in Shrewsbury, 1781, Dolly Newton
, who died in Shrewsbury, February 11, 1786. He married in 1 7M*i]
Thankful Newton, and subsequently removed to Princeton, where be
died, July 5, 1700.
66. Ebenezer Harrington served in Capt. John Ful-
ler's company eight months in siege of Boston, 1775. In
1777 he enlisted into the Continental army, and served
three years in Col. Timothy Bigelow's regiment.
Me was a son of Richard and Abigail (Hammond) Harrington, horn
in Lexington, March 16, 174-3. He came to Fitchburg in 1701; married
November 26, 1767, Martha Witt, a daughter of Isaiah Witt. At close
of the war he removed to Westmoreland, N. H.
67. Daniel Harris served in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775; in Capt. John
Fuller's company, siege of Boston, 1775; in Col. Jackson's
regiment at Hull, 1776, and also served two enlistments
in the Continental army. He was engaged at Bunker Hill,
Brandywine and Germantown, and was in the army on
the Hudson at the discovery of the treason of Gen. Ar-
nold.
He was son of Thomas and Lucy (Peirce) Harris, was born at
Dorchester, July 26, 1752, came to Fitchburg 1765. He married, June
15, 1780, Judith Goodale, a daughter of David and Lydia (Putnam)
Goodale of Fitchburg. He lived in this town and died here, December
16, 1820; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
68. Nathan Harris, a transient resident, was a vol-
unteer in Capt. William Thurlow's company, Bennington
alarm, 1777; company marched August 22, under Major
Ebenezer Bridge, and was dismissed at Charlemont by
Gen. Lincoln.
69. Samuel Harris served in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company, April 19, Lexington alarm ; in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm, 1777, and was a
corporal in Capt. William Thurlow's company, Major
Bridge, at Saratoga, 1777.
He was a son of Thomas and Lucy (Feircc) Harris, born in Dor-
chester, July 26, 1752. He came to Fitchburg with his parents in 1765
He married, 1778, Luc3' Fullam, a daughter of Francis and Susannah
(Hammond) Fullam of Fitchburg. He died in 184-1 ; buried in Laurel
Hill cemetery.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
195
70. Thomas Harris served in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company, Lexington alarm, and in Capt. James Hurt's
company, siege of Boston, 177*5.
He was a son of Nathaniel and Hannah (Fnllam) Harris, horn in
Needham, October 31, 1718. The family removed to Water town about
1720. He married in Watertown, August 22, 1745, Lucy Peirce, a
daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Converse) Peirce. He lived in Dor-
chester and was a miller there until 1705, when he removed to Fitch-
burg, and here died soon after the close of the Revolution. His widow,
Lucy, died January 19, 1798; buried in South street cemetery.
71. Asahel Hartwell was a private in Capt. Eben-
ezer Woods' company which marched on the 19th of April,
1775, Lexington alarm; service twelve days.
He was a son of Edward, Jr., and Elizabeth (Kneeland) Hartwell,
born in Lunenburg, August 2-4, 174-9. He removed to Fitchburg in
1773. He married, 1776, Abigail Walker. He removed about 1780 to
Westmoreland, N. H., and in 1792 to Stillwater, N. Y., where he died,
1844. His wife died, 1822.
72. Abijah Hartwell, private in Capt. William
Thnrlow's company, Bennington alarm, August 22, 1777,
under command of Major Ebenezer Bridge, dismissed alter
proceeding ninety miles by Gen. Lincoln; in Capt. Thnr-
low's company, Major Bridge, at Saratoga; also in Capt.
Thurlow's company, Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment, one
month and fifteen days, at Rhode Island, summer of 1778.
He was a son of Phineas and Mary (Peirce) Hartwell, born July
28, 1761. The family removed from Lunenburg to Fitchburg, 1765.
He married, March 10, 1805, Olive Smith, who died July 7, 1806. He
married second, January 11, 1809, Sarah Gray. He died in Fitchburg,
April 30, 1820. His wife, Sarah, died June 15, 1850.
73. Edward Hartwell served as corporal in Capt.
Ebenezer Bridge's company of minute-men, Lexington
alarm, April 19, 1775, sergeant in Capt. John Fuller's
company, siege of Boston, 1775.
He was a son of Edward, Jr. and Elizabeth (Kneeland) Hartwell.
born in Lunenburg, August 22, 1747. He married, December 9. 1776.
Lydia White. He removed to Fitchburg, in 1774 and in 1780, he re-
moved, with other families of Fitchburg, to Canaan, Me. He died
March 30, 1844. His wife died April 21, 1887.
74. Ephralm Hartwell served as fifer in Capt. Eb-
enezer Bridge's company of minute-men, Lexington alarm,
10(3 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
April 19, 1775; service fifteen days; also private in Capt
William Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm, August
1777, under Major Ebenezer Bridge; company dismissed
by Gen. Lincoln after proceeding ninety miles.
He was a son of Phineas and Mary (Peircc) II art well, born in Lu-
nenburg, October 7, 1755. The family removed to Fitchburg, 17<;.~,.
living near Scott reservoir. He married, , 177s, Betsey I'olley,
born March 7, 1759, daughter of Joseph Policy. He died November II,
1S3S. His wife died February 9, 1838.
75. Solomon Hartwrll, private in Capt El>enezer
Bridge's company of minute-men, Lexington alarm, April
19, 1775; service fourteen days; also in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm; company dis-
missed after proceeding ninety miles by Gen. Lincoln.
He was a son of Edward Jr. and Elizabeth (Kneeland) 1 1 art well,
born July 18, 1751. He removed to Fitchburg, 1773. He married, Sep-
tember 21, 1774-, Dorcas Policy, daughter of Joseph I'olley. About 1800
he removed Lo Worcester, N. V., where he died September 12, 184-7; hi*
wife died June 20, 1820.
70. Thomas Hartwell, private in Capt. Ebenezer
Woods' company of militia, Lexington alarm, April 19,
1775; service thirteen days; also in Capt. William Thur-
low's company, Major Ebenezer Bridge, Bennington alarm;
company dismissed after marching ninety miles by Gen.
Lincoln.
He was a son of Edward Jr. and Elizabeth (Kneeland) Hartwell,
born in Lunenburg, June 5, 174-0. He married, May 9, 1765, Prudence
Carter, born June 15, 174-6, daughter of Thomas and Betty I Sawyer)
Carter of Lunenburg. He removed to Fitchburg, 1773, removing late
in lite to Alstead, N. II., where he died November 2, 1820. His wife died
January 29, 1818.
77. William Haseltine appears on the roll of Capt.
Josiah Stearns' company, October (5, 1775, siege of Bos-
ton, as from Fitchburg.
He was a son of Amos and Eunice (Gilsou) Haseltine, born in Lu-
nenburg, May 8, 1755. He never resided in Fitchburg.
78. Peter Hawes (or Hews), under the call for six
months men in 1780 to reinforce the Continental army,
was hired by the town to serve on the quota of Fitch-
burg; marched July 10, 1780. He was also engaged for
FitcJiburg Soldiers of tlie Revolution. 197
the town of Fitchburg, May 27, 1781, for three years'
serviee in the Continental army; reported died October
18, 1781. He was nineteen years of age.
He came to Fitchburg in 1780 and was taxed for that year. On
May 27, 1780, he made application to Town Clerk Thomas Cowdin
"to be published to Hannah Nutten of Ashby."
79. Benjamin Herkick was a private in Capt. Eben-
ezer Woods' militia company, April 19, 1775, Lexington
alarm; serviee four days.
s
He was born in Reading. He married, in Rillerica. November 11),
1778, Elizabeth Kidder, a daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Lambert)
Kidder. He was in Fitchburg 1775, and later lived a short time in
Reading, returning to Fitchburg in 1781. lie died October 30, 1825.
80. Zachariah Hildrak [Hildreth] of Boston, was
one of twelve men raised in 1777 to serve on the quota
of Fitchburg for three years in the Continental army.
He joined Capt. Langdon's company, Col. Jackson's regi-
ment; return made by Capt. Jonathan Wood of Fitch-
burg.
He never resided here, and was doubtless a hired recruit, as no fur-
ther record of him is found.
81. Robert Hill of Lunenburg was one of twelve
men raised in 1777 to serve in the Continental army for
three years in the quota of Fitchburg, as returned by
Capt. Jonathan Wood. He joined Capt. Sylvanus Smith's
company, Col. Timothy Bigclow's regiment.
Being a resident of Lunenburg, that town claimed his service, but
again the committee decided in favor of Fitchburg. He never resided in
this town. '
82. Thomas Hill served in Capt. James Burt's com-
pany three months and thirteen days, from April 26,
1775, siege of Boston; also in Capt. William Thurlow's
company, Bennington alarm, August 22, 1777; also same
company twenty-five days under Major Ebenezer Bridge
at Saratoga.
He was a son of John and Jane (Wallis) Hill, born in Lunenburg,
August 14, 1751. He came to Fitchburg 1773.
83. Aaron Hodgkins served in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company, Lexington alarm, and in Capt. John Fuller's
14
198 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
company, siege of Boston, 1775; in Capt. Joslin's com-
pany at Bennington, 1777, and in Capt. William Thur-
low's company in Rhode Island, 1778.
He was a son of Hczekiah and Ruth Hodgkins, born in Ipswich,
August 29, 1751. The family came to Fitchburg before 175S. He mar-
ried, July 19, 1773, Phebe Wentworth, a sister of the wife of Samuel
Downe (No. 27 of this list). They removed about 1780 to Walpole,
N. H., where he died.
84. Elijah Holt served on the quota of Fitchburg,
in Capt. John Joslin's company, at Bennington, 1777; in
Capt. Elisha Jackson's and Capt. Benjamin Edgell's com-
panies, of Col. John Jacob's regiment, from June 26, 1778,
to January 1, 1779.
He was a son of Jonathan and Susannah Holt, born in Fitchburg,
October 23, 1759. He married, April 17, 1781, Lucy Parmenter of Oak-
ham. He lived in Fitchburg until 1784-, removing to Oakham.
85. James Holt served on the quota of Fitchburg in
the Continental army — being one of the six months' re-
cruits of 1780— from July 13, 1780, to January 12, 1781.
He was a son of Jonathan and Susannah Holt, born in Fitchburg,
May 2, 1764. He was but sixteen years of age at the time of his ser-
vice.
86. Jonathan Holt was a sergeant in Capt. Eben-
ezer Bridge's company of minute-men which marched at
the Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, to Cambridge; ser-
vice fourteen days.
He was a son of Humphrey and Sarah (Ballard) Holt, born in An-
dover, 1728. He married, February 25, 1752, Rachel Taylor, who died
April 25, 1753; he married, second, November 14, 1753, Susannah Holt,
who died July 11, 1801; he married, third, January 3, 1802, Azubah
(Butterfield) Searle of Townsend. He removed to Fitchburg previous to
the incorporation of the town, and here resided until his death. He
died March 17, 1805. Buried in Lunenburg South cemetery. Eleven
children.
87. Jonathan Holt, Jr., served as private in Capt.
Josiah Stearns' company, Col. Ephraim Doolittle's regi-
ment, eight months in the siege of Boston, 1775; also in
Capt. Thomas Fish's company, Col. Nathan Tyler's regi-
ment, five months and two days. Rhode Island service, in
1779. He was also one of the six months men raised bv
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 199
the town of Fitchburg to reinforce the Continental army
in 1780; service from July to December, being then twen-
ty-four years of age.
He was a son of Jonathan and Susannah (Holt) Holt, born in
Lunenburg, now Fitchburg, May 1G, 1750. He married, December 12,
1782, Molly Bailey, born in Lunenburg, February 14-, 1753, daughter
of Isaac and Mary (Lovejoy) Bailey. He lived in Jaffrey a few years,
and later removed to Canaan, Maine.
88. William Holt enlisted on the quota of Fitch-
burg into the Continental army for three years, and
served in Col. Timothy Bigelow's regiment from April 25,
1777, to April 25, 1780.
He was a son of Jonathan and Susanmih Holt, was born in Fitch-
burg, March 11, 17G1. He married, April 20, 1782, Elizabeth Hutchin-
son, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Hutchinson of Lunenburg.
89. Jonathan Hunt was a resident of this town in
1773, '74 and '75, and he served, 1775, in Capt. Eben-
ezer Bridge's companjr, Lexington alarm, and in Capt.
John Fuller's company, siege of Boston. Early in 1776
he removed to Charlestown and was in the service that
year on the quota of Cambridge.
He was a son of Samuel and Hannah (Kimball) Hunt, was born
in Lunenburg, now Fitchburg, July 2, 1750. The family removed from
this town in 1765. (See sketch of Samuel Hunt by Mr. Willis, in Vol-
ume II. of this series.) Jonathan, the son, married at Worcester, Sep-
tember 15, 1769, Lucy Howe; he married, second, at Boston, September
22, 1777, Margery Fox; he married, third, February 9, 1816, Anna
Daniels of Heath.
90. Maximillian Jewett served in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm, 1777. In April,
1775, he was in Littleton, and marched April 19, Lexing-
ton alarm, in the company of Capt. Aquilla Jewett.
He was a son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Wood) Jewett, was born
in Rowley, February 23, 1 748. He married, in Rowley, August 26,
1766, Rebecca Burpee, a daughter of Joseph and Joanna (Pickard) Bur-
pee. He came to Fitchburg in 1767 and resided here, except two 3'ears,
until 1780, when he removed to Canaan, Maine.
91. John Johnson (in the rolls spelled Jonson) served
as corporal in Capt. William Henry's company, month of
October, 1779, at Castle and Governor's Islands; residence
given Fitchburg. He was not a permanent resident here.
200 Fitcliburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
92. William Kendall served in Capt. William Thur-
low's company, Bennington alarm, 1777, and in Capt.
Thurlow's company of Lieut. -Col. Bridge's regiment at
Saratoga, 1777. It is presumable that other service under
this name should be placed to his credit. He was here,
under age, in 1777, and was first taxed in 1781.
He was born 1759, married, February 2(5, 1786, Hannah Need ham,
born in Billerica, August 19; 1759, a daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca
(Jaquith) Needham. He died, August 29, 1835; buried in Dean Hill
cemetery. His daughter Hannah, born January 13, 17S9, married, No-
vember 12, 1807, Joseph Policy.
93. Amos Kimball was one of Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company, Lexington alarm, and a sergeant in Capt. Wil-
liam Thurlow's company at Saratoga, 1777. Subsequently
he served on the quota of Westminster in the Continental
army, from June, 1.781, to September, 1783.
He was a son of Deacon Amos and Dorothy (Hazeltine) Kimball
and was born in Lunenburg, now Fitehburg, (at the Hale place on
South street,) September 25, 1752. He left Fitehburg before the close
of the war. Dea. Amos Kimball, the father, died October 6, 1774- ; buried
in South street cemetery.
94. Ebenezer Kimball served in Capt. John White's
company of Col. Abijah Stearns' regiment at Boston, from
April 1 to July 2, 1778.
He was the youngest son of Deacon Amos and Dorothy (Hazeltine)
Kimball, born in Fitehburg (South street), June 14, 1700.
95. Ephraim Kimball served in Capt. William Thur-
low's company, Bennington alarm, 1777.
He was a son of Ephraim and Mary (Wetherbee) Kimball, born in
Lunenburg, now Fitehburg, February 15, 1752. He is known in Fiteh-
burg annals as Deacon Ephraim Kimball. He married, April 14-, 1774,
Elizabeth White, born in Lunenburg, March 11), 1757, daughter of John
and Mary (Whitney) White. He was a prominent citizen of Fitehburg.
He died May 6, 1825; (gravestone May 7, town records May 6). His
widow died June 26, 1844; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. Ephraim,
Porter and Alpheus were his sons.
96. Levi Kimball was a drummer in Capt. Ebenezer
Woods' compain', thirteen days, at Lexington alarm. He
was also a drummer in Capt. Nathaniel Carter's company
of Col. Job Cushing's regiment, Saratoga service, 1777.
He was a son of Ephraim and Mary (Wetherbee) Kimball, born in
Lunenburg, now Fitehburg, October 23, 1756. He married, October 24,
1776, Jemima Walker.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 201
97. Thomas Kimball served in Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company, Lexington alarm, 1775, and eight
months the same year in Capt. John Fuller's company,
siege of Boston ; also in Capt. John Joslin's company, Col.
Job Cushing's regiment, at Bennington, 1777.
lie was a son of Deacon Amos and Dorothy (Hazeltine) Kimball,
born in Fitchburg, September 5., 1754-. He married, 1777, Lucy Russell,
a daughter of Jason Russell of Harvard.
98. Edom Lonnon (or Eden London), was a negro
slave owned in 1775 by Capt. Thomas Cowdin. He en-
listed, May 7, 1775, in Capt. James Burt's company for
eight months' service, siege of Boston. For this service
he is credited on the rolls to Fitchburg and also to Win-
chendon. On December 6, 1776, he enlisted for three years'
service in the Continental army, on the quota of Win-
chendon; discharged December 7, 1779.
Edorfi Lonnon as a slave had many masters. Capt. Cowdin sold
him May 6, 1775, to Jonathan Stimson of Winchendon. This sale was
the day before his enlistment under Capt. Burt. Later, the same year,
he was sold to Thomas Sawyer of Winchendon, and in July, 177G, he
was sold to David Goodridge, also of Winchendon. By his three years
service in the army in place of his new master, he secured his freedom —
his master receiving therefor his bounty, and a portion of his wages.
These facts were brought out in a suit in 1804, between the town of
Winchendon and the town of Ilatheld, concerning his support as a pau-
per. (Mass. Law Reports, vol. 4-, page 122.)
99. Eliphalet Mace enlisted July 10, 1780, for six
months' service in the Continental army on the quota of
Fitchburg.
He was a son of Eliphalet and Sarah Mace, was born in Billerica,
November 9, 1762. The family came from Billerica to Fitchburg in 1765,
the year after the incorporation, and the name appears in the records
of the town for several years after the war.
100. David McIntire served in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, and in Capt.
William Wy man's company, siege of Boston, 1775.
He was a son of John and Mary McIntire, born in Reading. He
married Gertrude Flint, a daughter of Amos and Mary (Graves) Flint,
and removed to Fitchburg in 1773. He died here October 9, 179S. His
sons, David and Flint McIntire, settled in Westminster.
101. Elijah McIntire served in Capt. William Wy-
man's company, Col. Patterson's regiment, siege of Bos-
ton, 1775.
I
202 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
He came to Fitchburg in 1775; married, January 8, 1778, Cather-
ine Hall, a daughter of John Hall, of the German settlement of Ash-
burnham. She died February 3. 183G; he died September 20, 1837;
both buried in Dean Hill cemetery.
102. Moses Merrill enlisted on the quota of Fitch-
burg, July 10, 1780. and was discharged January 12,
1781. He was one of the large number of six months'
recruits of 1780, to reenforce the Continental army on the
Hudson. In the descriptive list he is called sixteen years
of age, five feet four inches in height and of light com-
plexion.
He was a son of Daniel and Abigail Merrill, was born in Fitchburg
1764, and married, April 12, 1786, Milly Maynard. At this date lie
was living in Notown, but soon removed to Hancock, N. H. Daniel
Merrill, the father, removed in 1766 from Fitchburg to Ashburnham.
103. John Morril, reported as from Boston, was one
of twelve men who in 1777 enlisted on the quota of
Fitchburg (as from Capt. Jonathan Woods' Fitchburg
company of militia) for three years' service in the Conti-
nental army. He joined Capt. Jones' company, Col. Jack-
son's regiment. He was never a resident of Fitchburg,
and was doubtless a hired recruit.
104. John Mudge enlisted in Capt. Benjamin Edgell's
company, Col. John Jacob's regiment, for one year's ser-
vice, from the first day of June, 1778, on the quota of
Fitchburg. Other service should, perhaps, be credited to
him.
He was a son of John and Mary (Wait) Mudge, born in Maiden,
December 3, 1743. He came to Fitchburg in 1769. He was fire warden,
1770. His tax was abated in 1782, which is the last mention of his
name in the records of the town.
105. William Murphy was a hired recruit who
served on the quota of Fitchburg in 1779, probabl}' for
nine months, to reenforce the Continental army. His age
was twenty-eight years. He never resided in this town.
106. John Nutting served from Westford, in Capt.
Timothy Underwood's company, Lexington alarm, 1775,
and in Capt. Jonathan Minot's company, 1776. In 1777
he was one of the three years' men on the quota of Fitch-
Fitchbtirg Soldiers of tJie Revolution. 203
burg, enlisting June 20, 1777. He was assigned to Capt.
Ballard's company, of Col. Alden's regiment of Continen-
tals. He died in the service, December 25, 1777. The
name on one of the rolls is written "Nutten."
He was a son of John and Hannah (Reed) Nutting, born in West-
ford, 1756.
107. Ephraim Osborn was a member of Capt. Eben-
ezer Bridge's company at the Lexington alarm, 1775, and
in 1778 from July to December he served at Cambridge, in
Capt. Peter Woodbury's company and in Capt. David
Jewett's company, in guarding the prisoners of Gen. Bur-
goyne's army.
He was a son of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Ireland) Osborn, born in
Charlestown, September 24, 1731. He settled in the part of Lunenburg
now Fitchburg, and served in two or more campaigns in the French
and Indian war. He married, November 26, 1759, Sarah F'isk. He died,
March 12, 1779; buried in South street cemetery.
108. Ephraim Osborn, Jr., at the age of sixteen, en-
listed in Capt. Thomas Cowdin's company, 1779, and
marched to the Hudson river; regiment raised to reenforee
the Continental army in New York for three months.
The following year he served from July to October in
Capt. Timothy BoutelFs company in the Continental ser-
vice.
He was a son of Ephraim and Sarah (Fisk) Osborn, was born in
Fitchburg, September 5, 1763. He married, 1781, Elizabeth Wright.
Twelve children were born in this town.
109. Lieut. Jonathan Page was commissioned a
lieutenant of the Fitchburg compan}' of militia of which
William Thurlow was captain. In 1777 he served as lieu-
tenant in Capt. Jonathan Gates' company which arrived
at Bennington two clays after the battle and proceeded
to join Gen. Gates' army, participating in the battles and
the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne. Later he was in com-
mand of the enlisted and drafted men raised for the Con-
tinental army.
He was a son of Joseph and Abigail (Shedd) Page, born in Groton,
June 22, 1742. He came to Fitchburg in 1768, married, February 2,
1769, Esther Willard, born September 6, 1748, daughter of Lemuel and
Hannah (Haskell) Willard, of Harvard. He died, May 1, 1811; his
widow died, July 8, 1814; both buried at Dean Hill cemetery.
204 FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
110. Thomas Palmer, in 1778, was drafted under a
call for nine months men, to march to Horse-Neck under
command of Col. Converse, but for some reason failed to
join his regiment, with other men drafted under the same
call. He may have been the Thomas Palmer who served
in Capt. Joshua White's company of Col. Job Cushing's
regiment, drafted September, 1776; service sixty days at
Rhode Island.
Thomas Palmer, a son of Thomas and Margaret Palmer, was born
in Newton, about 1744. He married, May 8, 1766, Margaret Wis wall,
a daughter of Noah and Thankful (Fuller) Wiswall. By the father of
his wife he was given a farm which was supposed at the time to be in
Fitchburg, but which proved to be in Notown. Beginning in 1766 he
was taxed in Fitchburg for ten or more years.
111. John Park served in Capt. William Thurlow's
company, Bennington alarm, 1777, and was one of four
men drafted the following }rear for nine months' service
on the quota of Fitchburg, to reenforce the army on the
Hudson river. He arrived at Fishkill, June 20, 1778.
He was a son of John and Jane Park, born at Harvard, April 12,
1742. He married, May 25, 1772, Rhoda Cooper, and removed to Fitch-
burg. He died, 1778.
3 12. Joseph Patterson served on the quota of Fitch-
burg, being one of the men engaged in 1779 for the term
of nine months. He was mustered August 6, 1779.
He was a son of James and Elizabeth (Nichols) (Bartlett) Patter-
son, born in Shirley, December 25, 1751. He was a resident here in
1779. Subsequently he was a carpenter in Boston.
113. Amos Perry was one of six men raised by the
town of Fitchburg for nine months, and was mustered
into service January 25, 1779, to recruit the Continental
army. He never resided in Fitchburg.
114. Lieut. Asa Perry in the Revolution w^as a lieu-
tenant of the militia, and at the Lexington alarm he was
a lieutenant of Capt. Ebenezer Woods' company. He was
at Cambridge six days.
He was born in 1746, married, in Holliston, April 19, 1770, Lydia
Leland, born in Holliston, March 28, 1750, a daughter of John and
Lydia (Leland) Leland. He lived in Holliston until 1772, when he
removed to Fitchburg, where he was a useful citizen. His home was at
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 205
the corner of Water street and Wanoosnoc road, now the location of
the city almshouse. One child was born in Hollislon and four in Fitch-
burg. He died February 24-, 1826, aged eighty years; buried in South
street cemetery.
115. Seth Phillips, while a resident of Pembroke,
now Hanson, served as sergeant in Capt. James Hatch's
company, Lexington alarm, 1775; in Capt. Eleazer Ham-
lin's company, siege of Boston, 1775. In 1776, May 10, he
was commissioned a lieutenant of the Pembroke company
of militia, resigning his commission when he removed to
Fitchburg in 1777. In this town he was one of the six
months recruits for the Continental service from July 12
to December 10, 1780.
He was a son of Blaney and Christian (Wads worth) Phillips, was
born in Hanson, 1752. He married Betty Hamlin, an aunt of Vice-Pres-
ident Hannibal Hamlin, and removed to Fitchburg in 1777, where he
died, 1828; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
116. David Peirce was a private in Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company of minute-men at Lexington alarm,
April 19, 1775; service thirteen days; also probably in
service at Rhode Island in 1777 and 1778.
He was a son of David and Elizabeth (Bowers) Peirce, born in
Groton, July 19, 172G. He married, April 20, 174-6, Anne Ritter. and
lived in Lunenburg until 1770. when he removed to Fitchburg.
117. Joshua Peirce served in Capt. Bbenezer Bridge's
company, Lexington alarm, 1775; service thirteen days.
He was a son of David and Elizabeth (Bowers) Peirce, born in
Lunenburg January 13, 1740. He married, November 13, 17G9, Molly
Foss, and settled in Fitchburg. He died in Fitchburg, October 22, 1828;
buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. His home was on Summer street, loca-
tion now occupied by Henry T. Page.
118. Samuel Peirce served in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company at Lexington alarm, 1775; service eight days,
and probably served one or more enlistments later.
He was a son of David and Elizabeth (Bowers) Peirce, born in Lu-
nenburg, March 25, 1737. He married, March 19, 1761, Mary Stew-
art, a daughter of Solomon and Martha (Farrington) Stewart, and set-
tled in this town previous to the date of incorporation.
119. Amos Pierce served in Capt. Joseph Sargent's
company at Rhode Island from May 5 to July 12, 1777;
206 FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
also in Capt. Thomas Covvdin's company, November 1 to
December 3, 1779, at Clavernack, to reenforee the Conti-
nental army.
lie married, 1780, Sarah Marshall, who died in Fitchburg, April 8,
1804. He died July 22, 1826.
120. Thomas Platts was a private in Capt. Eben-
ezer Bridge's company of minute-men, April 19, 1775;
term of service six days. April 25, same year, he enlisted
in Capt. John Fuller's company, for eight months' service
in the siege of Boston. In 1777 he was one of the three
years' men, enlisted to serve in the Continental army. He
was assigned to Capt. Morse's company, Col. Putnam's
regiment.
He was a son of Nathan and Elizabeth Platts, born in Lunenburg,
November 24, 1754. He died in Fitzwilliam, |uly 26, 1782.
121. Joseph Polley served in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company of minute-men, Lexington alarm, and in Capt.
John Fuller's company, siege of Boston, 1775.
lie was a son of Ebenezer and Dorcas (Houghton) Polley, was
born in Lancaster, now Leominster, September 3, 1728. He married
Dorcas , removed from Leominster to Fitchburg, 1769, living in the
south part of the town. He died in 1776; Dorcas, his widow, died Au-
gust 7, 1812. His sons were Ebenezer, Joseph, John and Peter.
122. Enenezer Polley served in Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company, Lexington alarm, and in Capt. John
Fuller's company, siege of Boston, 1775. In 1778 he was
a corporal in Capt. William Thurlow's compan}' at Rhode
Island from July 30 to September 13, and the following
year he served in Capt. Thomas Cowdin's company on
the Hudson.
He was a son of Joseph and Dorcas ( ) Polley (No. 121 above),
was born in Leominster, October 28, 1749. He married Mary ,
lived in Fitchburg, and died here February 15, 1815.
123. John Polley served in Capt. Joseph Sargent's
company at Rhode Island from May 5 to July 12, 1777;
in Capt. Nathaniel Carter's company " to the northward "
from September 7 to November 29, 1777; in Capt. Wil-
liam Thurlow's company at Rhode Island from Juty 30
Fitch-burg Soldiers of tJie Revolution. 207
to September 13,*1778, and in Capt. Thomas Cowdin's
eompan}^ on the Hudson from November 1 to November
23, 1779.
He was a son of Joseph and Dorcas ( ) Policy (Xo. 121 above),
was born in Leominster, December 30, 1700. He married, October 28,
1782, Abigail Kimball, a daughter of Ephraim and Mary (Wetherbee)
Kimball of Fitchburg.
124. Joseph Polley, Jr., served as fifer in Capt.
Ebenezer Woods' company, Lexington alarm, 1775; in
William Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm, and at
Saratoga in 1777; in Capt. Thurlow's company at Rhode
Island, July 30 to September 13, 1778.
He was a son of Joseph and Dorcas Polley (No. 121 above), was
born in Leominster, December 25, 1750; married, November 14, 1780,
Eunice Melvin, a daughter of John and Hannah Melvin of Concord.
He lived in the northwest part of the town. He died, May 11, 1834;
buried in Dean Hill cemetery.
125. Silas Pratt was one of the recruits under the
call for nine months' men in 1779. He enlisted in the Con-
tinental service and served in Col. Timothy Bigelow's
regiment from August, 1779, to May, 1780. In January,
1781, he petitioned the General Court that he might be
allowed his wages for ten months and eleven days, during
which time he was a prisoner in New York in the year
1780, and for the loss of a blanket.
He came to Fitchburg in 1778, probably from Weymouth or vi-
cinity, being at that time eighteen years of age. He did not remain
here after the war.
126. John Priest was one of twelve men raised by
the town of Fitchburg in 1777 to serve for three years in
the Continental army, and returned by Capt, Jonathan
Wood as enlisted from his company. He was assigned to
Capt. King's company, Col. Marshall's regiment, on the
Hudson. In the retreat, July, 1777, from Skeensborough
(Whitehall) to Fort Ann, he was disabled, and in Febru-
ary of the following year was discharged from the service.
He was a son of Benjamin and Hannah (Johnson) Priest, was born
in Lancaster, October 1, 1701, and came to Fitchburg in 1 770. In 1785
he married Rebecca Gibson, a daughter of Abraham and Esther (Fox)
Gibson of Fitchburg, and removed to Kindge, N. H. In 1811 he re-
moved from Kindge to Lunenburg. His wife, Rebecca, died in Luneu-
208 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
burg, June 30, 1814, and he married, second, Mrs. Pfaebe (Atberton)
Sherman. He died in Lunenburg, April 12, 1830; buried in Lunenburg
South yard. He had twelve children by first wife.
127. Dea. Daniel Putnam served as ensign in Capt.
Ebcnezer Bridge's company of minute-men, Lexington
alarm, April 19,1775; service thirteen days; also private
in Capt. William Thnrlow's company, Bennington alarm,
1777, under command of Major Hbenezer Bridge, by order
of Gen. Stark and Col. Warner; dismissed after proceed-
ing ninety miles, by Gen. Lincoln.
He was a son of John and Ruth (Swiuerton) 1'utnam, was b'>rn in
S.-tlciri Yitliijiv, now Danvers, April 1\), 17-iS He manicd, til S.tlnu, De-
cember 14-, 1709, Kaehel Small, born April 5, 17 13, a daughter of Wil-
liam Small. He removed to Fitchburg in 1709 and settled on the farm
now occupied by*his great grandson, J. Edward Putnam. He died, April
2G, 1S13; his wife died, January 26, 1819. Both buried at Laurel Hill
cemetery.
128. John Putnam was a private in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm, August 22, 1777,
under Major Ebenczer Bridge; dismissed by Gen. Lincoln
after proceeding ninety miles; lieutenant in Capt. Nathan-
iel Carter's company, Col. Job Cushing's regiment, from
September 5 to November 29, 1777, in Continental service.
Lieut. John Putnam, son of John and Ruth (Swinerton) Putnam,
was born in Salem Village, now Dan vers, December 10, 1743. He mar-
ts > » >
ried, at Danvers, October 31, 1765, Abigail Small. He came to Fitch-
burg with his brother Daniel in 1709. He was a contractor and builder,
and built the second meeting-house in Fitchburg, the building now
standing at the corner of Alain and Circle streets, known as Crocker's
hall. He was living here after 1800, but no record of his death is found.
129. Abijah Reed of Westford enlisted on the epiota
of Fitchburg in 1777, for three years' service in the Con-
tinental army. He was enlisted as from Capt. Jonathan
Wood's Fitchburg militia company; served in Capt. Bal-
lard's company, Col. Alden's. regiment. His service being
claimed by both Fitchburg and Ashby, was allowed to
Ashby, but in 1779 he was credited to the town of Fitch-
burg.
He was a son of Peter and Elizabeth (Hartwell) Reed, born in Lit-
tleton, 1754. He lived many years in Westford, and died there in 184-4-.
He never lived in Fitchburg.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 209
130. Asa Russell came to Fitchburg in 1779, and
the same year served on the quota of Fitchburg at Castle
and Governor's Islands from October 3 to October 29, in
the company under Capt. William Henry.
131. Isaac Russell was one of four men drafted into
the service on the quota of Fitchburg, under the call in
1778 for nine months' men, to reenforce the Continental
army. He joined the army at Fishkill, July 11, 1778.
He came to Fitchburg in 1777, and married here, April 22 of that
year, Betty Stewart, a daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth (Taylor)
Stewart. About 1780 he removed to Canaan, Maine.
132. Nathaniel Russell came to Fitchburg in 1779
and enlisted June 1G, 1781, into the Continental army on
the quota of Fitchburg for three years, being one of the
nine men raised by the payment of bounties to fill the
quota to the required number. I lis age was given as
twenty-one years. He received a bounty of one hundred
and two pounds and mileage in advance.
133. Benjamin Sanders of Billerica enlisted in 1777
for three years' service in the Continental army, on the
quota of Fitchburg; service from September 12, 1777, to
September 12, 1780.
Fie was a son of David and Abigail (Snow) Sanders, born in Bil-
lerica, September IS, 1755. After the war he lived in Billerica.
134. Moses Sanders (or Sanderson) was a private in
the company of Capt. William Warner, Col. Josiah Whit-
ney's regiment, on dut}r at Hull, from June 18 to Decem-
ber, 1776. He enlisted in 1777 for eight months' service
in the Continental army. He joined Capt. Gates' com-
pany, in Col. Putnam's regiment.
He was a son of Moses and Mary (Flagg) Sanderson, was born
in Waltham, 1756, (baptized July 18). In 170G the family removed from
Waltham to Littleton, which place he made his home after the war. He
was taxed for a single year only in Fitchburg.
135. Abner Sawyer served in Capt. William Thur-
low's company, Bennington alarm, 1777. In 1778 he was
drafted, under a call for nine months men, but was ex-
cused from service.
210 Fitchbnrg Soldiers of the Revolution.
He came to Fitchburg in 1774, married, March 27, 1777, Elizabeth
Perkins, and in 1771) he removed to Kindle, N. H., where he died in
1809. His widow married Phineas Brown, and again lived in Fitch-
hurg, where she died May 1, 1820.
136. Phineas Sawyer, Jr., served in 1776 in Capt.
Manasseh Sawyer's company of Col. Dike's regiment, at
Dorchester, from September 1 to December 1.
He was a son of Phineas and Mary (Sawyer) Sawyer, born in Lan-
caster, April 28, 174-2. He married, January 4, 1774, Mary Prescott, a
daughter of John and Mary (White) Prescott, and immediately removed
to this town. He was an innholder. He died March 9, 1794; his
widow died October 15, 1795. Phineas Sawyer, the father, a veteran
of the French and Indian war, died in Fitchbnrg, April 20, 17S7. His
wife died December 2, 1794.
137. John Schoffe (or Shaff) was one of the twelve
men raised b}' the town in 1777 to serve for three years
in the Continental army. He joined Capt. Sylvanus
Smith's company of Col. Timothy Bigelow's regiment.
The regiment was engaged in the capture of Burgoyne's
army at Saratoga, "endured the sufferings of Valley
Forge, fought on the plains of Monmouth, and partici-
pated in the closing victory at Yorktown."
Me was a son of Jacob Schoffe, was born in Ashburuhani, August
15, 1701. The father was one of the German immigrants who settled
on the Dutch Farms in Ashburnham. The family removed to Haverhill,
N. H., and later to" Essex county, Vt.
138. Joseph Simonds served in Capt. Ebenezer Woods'
company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, and on the
25th of the same month enlisted in Capt. James Burt's
company for' eight months' service in the siege of Boston.
Joseph Simonds, born about 1740, was baptized in Topsfield, Octo-
ber 29, 1749. He was a son of John and Ruth (Dorman) Simonds, and
grandson of John and Hannah (Hazen) Simonds of Topsfield and Box-
ford. In his youth his parents moved to Lunenburg. He married, Octo-
ber 10, 1707, Mary Martin, born October 20, 1748, a daughter of John
and Elizabeth Martin of Lunenburg, and removed the same year to
Fitchburg. He died in Fitchburg, October 10, 1820; his wife died 1819.
His grandson, Abel Simonds, was the founder of the extensive manu-
facturing industry now conducted by the Simonds Manufacturing Com-
pany.
139. William Small was a private in Capt. Eben-
ezer Bridge's company o\ minute-men. Lexington alarm,
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 211
1775, and in Capt. William Thurlow's company, Benning-
ton alarm, 1777.
He came to Fitchburg in 1769, married, May 10, 1772, Miriam
Thurston. He married second, February 27, 1777, Mary (Damon) Big-
elow, widow of Solomon Bigelow of Shrewsbury. He was a resident
here as late as 179G, when he was one of a committee to inspect the
"stuff for the new meeting-house."
140. Silas Snow was commissioned second lieutenant
of Capt. Jonathan Wood's company of militia, March 28,
1776. After that date he is styled in the town records
Lieut. Silas Snow.
He was a son of William and Elizabeth (Stevens) Snow, and was
born in Lunenburg, November 29, 1733. He married, November 20,
1760, Anna Farwell, a daughter of Daniel and Mary Farwell of Groton.
He was living in Fitchburg at the date of incorporation, and after the
war removed to Lunenburg, where he died September 6; 1S06; buried
in Lunenburg North cemetery.
141. Joseph Spofford was a private in Capt. Eben-
ezer Woods' company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775;
service six days.
He was a son of Jonathan and Jemima (Freethe) Spofford, born in
Rowley, July 13, 1720. At the beginning of the Revolution he had lived
in Fitchburg over twenty years. Near the close of the war he removed
to Weathersfield, Vt., where he died March 13, 1803.
142. Jabez Stevens served in Capt. Josiah Stearns'
compan}' eight months in siege of Boston, 1775. In 1777
he enlisted on the quota of Fitchburg into the Conti-
nental army, serving three years.
He was first taxed in Fitchburg in 17S0 and was living here in
1793, when his tax, "the sum of two pounds, six shillings, ten pence
and three farthings, after consolidated in silver, was abated." He married,
July 1, 1784, Esther Bemis, born in Waltham, December 20, 1762, a
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Warren) Bemis. At some time sub-
sequently he removed to Charlestown.
143. Oliver Stickney served in Capt. Nathaniel
Carter's company of Col. Job Cushing's regiment, in Sep-
tember and October, 1777, "at the northward," one hun-
dred and sixty miles' travel home.
He was a son of Stephen and Mehitable (Goodridge) Stickney, born
in Newbury, February 22, 1730. He was a grandson of Philip Good-
ridge of Lunenburg. He removed to Fitchburg in 1766. lie married,
212 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
May 26, 1767, Hannah Stiles, a daughter of Jacob Stiles of Lunenburg.
She died in this town March 21, 1779. He married second, January 19,
1790, Sarah Frost. He died in Fitchburg, April 24, 1811; buried in
Laurel Hill cemetery.
14-4. Samuel Sumner, Jr., was one of twelve men
returned by Capt. Jonathan Wood in 1777, as enlisted
(from his Fitchburg militia company) for three years' ser-
vice in the Continental army.
He is on record as from Boston, and as having previously served
for shorter periods elsewhere, and as having received State bounty. He
appears to have been equally proficient in handling gun, tile or drum,
and served with each in different enlistments as occasion required. He
never lived in Fitchburg.
145. George Taylor served in Capt. Thomas Cow-
din's company, Col. Rand's regiment, nine months, from
January 25,-1779.
He was born in 1753, came to Fitchburg in 1777 and married, the
same year, Abigail Seaver of Westminster. He did not become a per-
manent resident here.
146. Capt. William Thurlow, at the outbreak of
the Revolution, was a lieutenant of Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company of minute-men, and served with his
company at the Lexington alarm, remaining in service fif-
teen days. At the reorganization of the army lie was
commissioned ensign of Capt. Josiah Stearns' company,
and served in the siege of Boston eight months in 1775.
Early in 1776 he was commissioned captain of one of
the Fitchburg companies of militia, and held the commis-
sion until 1779 or later. He led his company to Charle-
mont at the Bennington alarm, 1777, and at once reor-
ganized his company and marched to Bennington, arriv-
ing two days after the battle. lie proceeded to Saratoga
and was there engaged in the battles preceding and at
the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne. In 1778, Capt. Thurlow,
in Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment, was in service in Rhode
Island from July 30 to September 13.
Capt. William Thurlow was a son of George and Elizabeth (Hale)
Thurlow, and was born in Newbury in 1744- He married, in 1768,
Mercy Gibson, who was born in Stow, August -t, 174-S, a daughter of
Dea. Stephen and Sarah (Goss) Gibson, and a sister of Rev. Stephen
Gibson of Ashby. He was first taxed in this town for the year 1766.
His home was on what has long been known as the Hale place on
Fitchbitrg Soldiers of the Revolution. 213
South street. The old house in which he lived is still standing. Capt.
Thurlow died in Fitchburg, December 8, 1784; buried in South street
cemetery. His widow married, second, March 20, 1787, John Shepley.
They were the parents of Hon. John Shepley, an eminent lawyer of
Saco, Me.; of Hon. Ether Shepley, LL. D., chief justice of the Supreme
Court, and United States senator of Maine, and of Stephen -Shepley,
father of the late Stephen Shepley of Fitchburg.
147. Dea. John Thurston served in Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company, Lexington alarm, and in Capt. James
Burt's company, siege of Boston, 1775. He was a drum-
mer in Capt. William Thurlow's company, Bennington
alarm, and a corporal in Capt. Thurlow's company, Sara-
toga, 1777. In 1778 he served in Capt. Ephraim Stearns'
company on Hudson river, and in 1779 he was a cor-
poral in Capt. Thomas Cowdin's company, raised to re-
enforce the Continental army in New York.
He was a son of Dea. John and Hepsibah (Burpee) Thurston, born
in Rowle\*, 1757. He lived in Fitchburg after 1766. He married, Au-
gust 2, 1782, Esther Wood, a daughter of Jonathan and Esther (Wood)
Wood. She died July 22, 1801; he died April 28, 1814; buried in Lau-
rel Hill cemetery.
148. Stephen Thurston was one of eleven six
months recruits raised by the town in 1780 to serve in
the Continental army. He marched July 10 and was dis-
charged December 7. His age was sixteen years.
He was a son of Dea. John and Hepsibah (Burpee) Thurston, born
in Rowley, 1764. He came to Fitchburg with his parents in 1766. He
married, November 12, 17S7, Mary Osgood of Lancaster, who died
June 17, 1811. He died May 15, 1805; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
149. Thomas Thurston served in Capt. William
Thurlow's company at Saratoga, under Maj. Ebenezer
Bridge, in 1777, at the capture of Burgoyne's army.
He was a son of Dea. John and Hepsibah (Burpee) Thurston, born
in Rowley, February 2, 1755. The family removed to Fitchburg when
he was eleven years of age. He married, August 16, 1780, Lydia Davis
of Concord. She died January 19, 1806. He married second. January 1,
1807, Mehitable Upton, a daughter of William and Hannah (Stanley)
Upton. Many of his descendants have been useful and honored citizens.
He died October 30, 1825 ; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
150. Oliver Upton was a private in Capt. Ebenezer
Woods' company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775; time
of service, eight days.
214 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
lie was a son of Caleb Upton, horn in 174-tt. In 170.0 his father
removed to Fitchburg antl died here in 1708. Oliver married, November
20, 1777, Susannah Stiles, born October 4, 1 70S, a daughter of Levi
Stiles of Lunenburg. In 1785 Oliver Upton removed to Gardner, where
he died July 1, 1721.
151. Robert Upton served on the quota of the town
in Capt. Joseph Sargent's company, Rhode Island service,
from May 5 to July 12, 1777; in Capt. John Joslin's com-
pany at Bennington alarm, 1777; in Capt. Thomas Cow-
din's company, November 1 to November 23, 1779; also
sergeant in Capt. Timothy Boutell's company, July 20 to
October 10, 1780.
He was a brother of Oliver (No. 150 above), was born in Amherst,
N. H, May 12, 175S. He lived in Fitchburg from 1705 to 1781; mar-
ried in North Reading, 1781, Anna VYheelock, born 175(J, in Shrewsbury.
In 1781 he removed to Salem and in 1792 to Cavendish, Yt., and in
1812 to Millbridge, Me., where he died in 1821. His widow, Anna, died
in Salem, February 10, 1835. She was a near relative of Rev. Flea-
zer Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth college.
152. James Walker served in Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's
company, Lexington alarm, and in Capt. William Wy-
man's company of Col. Patterson's regiment, in siege of
Boston, 1775. In 1778 he served in Capt. William Thur-
low's company at Rhode Island.
He came to Fitchburg in 1771 and was a resident here eight years.
No further record of him is found.
153. John Wesson (or Wasson) was a private in
Capt. Ebenezer Bridge's company of minute-men, Lexing-
ton alarm, April 19, 1775; service six days. He enlisted
as fifer in Capt. John Puller's company, eight months' ser-
vice, in siege of Boston. Subsequently he was on the
quota of Shirley, Rhode Island service; on quota of Am-
herst, Continental service, eight months; also on quota
of Northborough, Continental service, as musician, 1777
to 1780.
He was a native of Concord, and was only a transient resident of
Fitchburg.
154. John West was one of eleven men who enlisted
in 1780 on the quota of Fitchburg for six months' service
in the Continental army. He served from July 10, 1780,
FitcJiburg Soldiers of tlie Revolution. 2ti 5
to January 10, 1781, and was allowed for two hundred
miles travel home. He reenlisted March 14-, 1781, for
three years in the Continental service, being one of the
nine men paid a bounty by the town as an inducement to
enlist. His age was given thirty-three years, birthplace
"Great Britain." June 5, 1782, he was tried by regimen-
tal court martial on a charge of absence without leave
and selling his knapsack, found guilty and sentenced to
receive fifty lashes. He was never a resident here.
155. Jonathan Wetherbee served in Capt. Ebenez.er
Bridge's compan}', Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775; term
of service four days.
He came to Fitchburg in 1774- and resided here until 1770, after
which his name disappears from the records of the town.
156. Paul Wetherbee was a corporal in Capt. Eben-
ezer Bridge's company of minute-men, Lexington alarm,
April 19, 1775; service thirteen days.
He was a son of Paul and Hannah (I'eirce) Wetherbee, was born
in Lunenburg, August 12, 1749. He came to Fitchburg in 1774, and
the same year married Dorcas Hovey, born in Lunenburg, June 24-, 1751,
daughter of Abijah and Lydia (Graves) Hovey. Nine children were born
in this town. He died April 24, 1834; his wife died November 14, 1829;
buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
157. Titus Wilder served on the quota of Fitchburg,
1776, in Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment, which was at
Bound Brook, New Jersey. The following year he served
in Col. Job Cushing's regiment, and was present at the
surrender of Gen. Burgoyne's army. Before he removed
to this town he had served in Capt. Benjamin Houghton's
company of minute-men of Lancaster at the Lexington
alarm, and eight months in the siege of Boston, 1775.
He was a son of Jotham and Phebe (Wilder) Wilder, born at Lan-
caster, December 4, 1749. He married, April 21, 1773, Mary Allen; re.
moved to Fitchburg in 177(5, and lived here four years. He returned in
1780 to Lancaster, and died in the almshouse there April 10, 1837.
158. Abraham Willard served on the quota of Fitch-
burg six months in the Continental army, from July 18,
1780, to January 20, 1781. He was allowed two hun-
dred miles for travel home.
216 FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
He was a son of Abraham and Mary (Haskell) Willard, was born
in Harvard, December 12, 1748. He came to Fitchburg in 1771, and
settled in the west part of the town. lie died April 20, 1817; his wife,
Hannah, died June 12, 1816; both buried in Dean Hill cemetery. They
had three sons, Isaac, Levi and Amory.
159. Reubkn Willard was a private in the company
of eight months' men under Capt. Josiah Stearns, Col.
Ephraim Doolittle, in the siege of Boston, 1775.
He was a son of Thomas and Sarah (Gibson) Willard, born in
Harvard, November 14-, 1755; married, January 3, 1775, Catherine
Parkhurst. He came to JFitchtmrg at the opening of the Revolution
but did not become a permanent resident.
160. .James Williams was one of the eleven who en-
listed in 1780 for six months' service in the Continental
arm\' on the quota of Fitchburg. lie served tinder Capt.
Thomas Priehard, from July 10 to December 12; allowed
for two hundred miles travel home. He reenlisted April 3,
1781, for three years in the Continental service, being then
21 years of age. He was one of the nine men raised by
the town in 1781 by the payment of a bounty; in his
case ninety-three pounds "hard money" and advance
mileage.
He lived but a year or two in Fitchburg. He married Submit Page
and their daughter Lydia was born here February 23, 1781, after which
date his name disappears from the records of the town.
161. Capt. Jonathan Wood was captain of the first
Fitchburg company of Col. Abijah Stearns' Eighth Wor-
cester County regiment of militia; commissioned March
23, 1776. He was in the service the same year on the
Hudson river, near Dobbs' Ferry, as captain of a com-
pany in Col. James Converse's regiment.
Capt. Jonathan Wood, son of David and Elizabeth Wood, was born
in Bradford, September 24-, 17H0. He married, October 10, 1751, Rachel
Wood of Uxbridge, and settled in Lunenburg, now Fitchburg. His home
was on Intervale road, and the old house is still standing He died
December 15, 1804- ; his widow, Rachel, died March 27, 1808; both buried
in South street cemeter}'. He was a prominent and useful citizen. His
epitaph reads, "He lived a firm pillar in the cause of Liberty." [See
sketch by Air. Willis in Volume II, page 06 of this series] He was a
descendant of Thomas Wood, an early settler of Rowley. A considera-
ble part of this family removed to Mendon and vicinity.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 217
162. George Wood was one of the nine months men,
raised by the town in 1779, for service in Rhode Island
from January 25. In December, the same year, he was
serving for one month in Capt. Thomas Fish's company,
Col. Nathan Tyler's regiment, in Rhode Island.
He was a son of Capt. Jonathan and Rachel (Wood) Wood, born
June 3, 17G2. He married, 1781, Sarah Ilartwell of Acton. They had
thirteen children, one born in Acton, two in Rockingham, Vt., and the
others in Fitchburg. He died in Fitchburg in September, 1820.
163. James Wood was a member of Capt. Ebenezer
Bridge's company of minute-men, April 19, 1775, Lexington
alarm; term of service fifteen days. In 1778 he enlisted
for one year's service in Capt. Benjamin Edgell's company,
Col. John Jacob's regiment, at Rhode Island.
He was a son of Capt. Jonathan and Rachel (Wood) Wood, born
March 24, 1756; married, 1780, Sarah Walker, born November 12,
1758, daughter of Obadiah and Abigail Walker of Lunenburg. They
removed to Westminster, Vt., where they were a leading and influential
family.
164. Jonathan Wood, Jr., served as fifer in Capt. Jo-
seph Sargent's company, Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment,
from May 5 to July 12, 1777, at Rhode Island. The com-
pany was drafted from Col. Whitney's and Col. Stearns'
regiments to serve under Gen. Spencer. He also served in
Capt. Thurlow's company twenty-five days, under Major
Bridge, at Saratoga, the same year.
He was a son of Capt. Jonathan and Rachel (Wood) Wood, born
in Fitchburg, March 25, 17G0. He left Fitchburg in 1785, and settled
in Westmoreland, N. H., where he died August 20, 1814. He was a
captain in the New Hampshire militia, as his father was in the Massa-
chusetts militia. He had a family of seven children.
165. Salmon Wood served in Capt, Joseph Sargent's
company, Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment, at Rhode Island,
sixty-seven days in 1777. He was also in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, service at Saratoga, twenty-five days,
capture of Burgoyne's army, 1777.
Salmon Wood appears on the rolls as Solomon Wood. He was a
son of John and Lydia (Davis) Wood, born in Littleton, August 15,
1758. His father, John Wood, died April 8, 1758, and his widow, Lydia,
became the second wife of Dea. David Goodridge of Fitchburg. Salmon
218 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
Wood was reared in the home of Dea. Goodridge. He married, 1780,
Sybil Whit tern ore of New Ipswich, and settled in kindle, X. II. In
1780 lie removed from Kindge to Hancock, N. II., where he died Feb-
ruary 25, 1823. Seven children.
166. Ebenezer Woods, in October, 1774, was chosen
captain of one of the companies of militia in Fitchburg,
and was in command of his company, April 19, 1775,
and marched to Cambridge. \\\ the siege of Boston and
at the battle of Bunker Hill he was serving as lieutenant
in Capt. Burt's company of Col. Asa Whiteomb's regi-
ment. He was in the service again the following year.
Capt. Ebenezer Woods was a son of Nathaniel and Alice Woods,
twas born at Groton, December 19, 1728. He married, June 25, 1752,
Eunice Boyden, born May 22, 1733, a daughter of Josiah and Eunice
(Parker) Boyden. At the incorporation of Pepperell his homestead fell
within the new town, and he there resided until 1770, when he removed,
with six or more children, to this town. Me was a selectman in 1773,
1774 and 1775. He was one of the committee who drafted the mem-
orable declaration of constitutional rights and privileges. (See Town
Records, volume I., page 92 ; Procedings Fitchburg Historical Society,
volume II., page 73). In the spring of 1777 he removed with his fam-
ily to Windsor, Vt., and before the close of the year he was commis-
sioned a captain. He was at the battle of Bennington and soon after
was commissioned a colonel of the Third Vermont regiment. He was a
cousin of Gen. Henry Woods of Pepperell, who was distinguished in
war and in peace.
167. John Woods enlisted May 1, 1775, in Capt.
James Burt's company, Col. Asa Whiteomb's regiment,
for eight months' service in the siege of Boston. He was
in the same company with his father and brother, and
the three were engaged in the battle of Bunker Hill.
He was a son of Col. Ebenezer Woods, born in Pepperell, October
28, 1761. He married, October 10, 1781, Abigail Ela, who was living
in 184-0. He died October 21, 1810. They had thirteen children. He
removed from Fitchburg to Vermont and there served several enlist-
ments.
168. Joseph Woods enlisted May 1, 1775, as private
in Capt. James Burt's company, Col. Asa Whiteomb's
regiment, for eight months' service, in the siege of Boston.
He was a son of Col. Ebenezer Woods (No. 166 of this list), born
in Pepperell, November 2, 1758. He removed in 1777 to Windsor, Vt.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 219
From the above list it appears that no less than one
hundred and sixty-eight men served on the quota of Fitch-
burg for longer or shorter periods in the war of the Rev-
olution, and this from a population of, probably, not
more than eight hundred at any time during the war.
The following list gives the names and record of such
Revolutionary soldiers as, during or subsequent to the
war,
MADE FITCHBURG THEIR HOME, HAVING SERVED
FROM OTHER TOWNS.
1. Phineas Allen, while a resident of Lincoln, Mass.,
served in Capt. Farrar's company in 1777, guarding the
prisoners of Burgoyne's army at Cambridge.
lie removed to Fitchburg about 1782. He was a son of Benjamin
and Eunice (Gale) Allen, was born in Lincoln, April 6, 1745. He mar-
ried in Lincoln, March 6, 1769, Abigail Foster, who died May 18, 1770.
He married second in Lincoln, September 14, 1775, Sarah Danforth; he
married third at Fitchburg, November 30, 1784, Dorothy Flagg of Leom-
inster. He removed about 1820 to the home of his son Abijah, in
Smyrna, N. Y., where he died, May 15, 1830. Three children were born
in Lincoln and eight in Fitchburg.
2. Timothy Batchelder served in Lieut. Peter
Shaw's company of Beverly, Lexington alarm ; and in
Lieut. Billy Porter's, and later in Capt. Ebenezer Francis'
company in siege of Boston, 1775, — service credited to
Beverly.
He was a son of Jonathan and Hepsibah (Conant) Batchelder, was
born in Beverly, April 14, 1753; married in Beverly, 1774, Esther Co-
nant, a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Dodge) Conant, and removed
in 1778 to Lunenburg. In 1780 he came to Fitchburg. One child was
born in Beverly, two in Lunenburg and seven in Fitchburg. He was
residing here in 1807. No record of his death is found in Fitchburg,
but one account says he died in Chesterfield, N. H., 1809.
3. Abraham Bennett served in Capt. John Jones'
company of Ashby, Lexington alarm, 1 775, and in 1776
he served in Col. Brooks' regiment at White Plains, New
York.
220 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
While a resident of Concord he married, February 28, 1705, Sarah
Goodnow of Acton, settled in Ashby, and there resided twenty-five
years. In 1790 he removed to Fitchburg, and here died July 2o, 1835:
buried in Laurel Mill cemetery. Mis wife died May 11, 1814-.
4. David Boutell, while a resident of Leominster,
served in Capt. John Joslin's company, Lexington alarm;
in Capt. Manasseh Sawyer's company, siege of Boston,
1775; in Capt. Nathaniel Carter's company, Bennington
alarm, 1777, and in Lieut. Samuel Stickney's company at
Saratoga, 1777.
He was a son of James Jr. and Elizabeth (Smith) Boutell, born in
Leominster, December 12, 1756. He married May 6, 1779, Damans
Richardson, a daughter of Luke and Damaris (Carter) Richardson. Me
removed from Leominster to Fitchburg in 1798, and here died August 5,
1816; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. Dea. David Boutelle of the Roll-
stone church, and Dr. Thomas R. Boutelle, a former well known physi-
cian of Fitchburg, were his sons.
5. Pearson Brown, while a resident of Lynn, served
in Capt. Miles Greenwood's company at Cambridge, guard-
ing prisoners of Burgoyne's army, from November 11,
1777, to April 3, 1778. (The name is written Parson
Brown on the rolls.)
He was a son of Jacob and Eunice (Eaton) Brown, and was born
in Lynn, 1759. He married at Lynnheld, June 7, 1789, Elizabeth Mc.
Intire. He removed to Fitchburg, 1800, and here died, May 29, 1841"
His wife, Elizabeth, died February 4, 184-2; both buried in Laurel Hill
cemetery. The father, Jacob Brown, died in Fitchburg, April 26, 1812.
It is probable that he, too, was a soldier, but there were so many of the
same name in the army that a definite statement cannot be made.
6. Capt. Samuel Burbank, at the beginning of the
Revolution, was a resident of Holliston and a lieutenant
c: a HojV.s'iw. coiiipaiiT of mir/aic-meii. He served in
Capt. Leland's company at Lexington alarm, and eight
months in the siege of Boston, 1775. He was engaged in
the battle of Bunker Hill. In July, 1777, he was com-
missioned a captain, and he commanded a company of
Col. Samuel Bullard's regiment in the expedition of 177S
to Rhode Island, under Gen. Sullivan of New Hampshire.
Capt. Burbank was a son of Samuel and Mary (Reed) Burbank of
Sudbury and Holliston, and was born in Sudbury, June 24-, 1734-. He
married first,— (record of which has not been found) ; he married sec-
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 221
ond, 1773, Eunice Kendall, a daughter of Benjamin and Kezia (belaud)
Kendall of Slierborn, and granddaughter of Thomas Kendall of Lexing-
ton. In 1770 he removed from Molliston to Fitchburg, and here lived
twenty-five years, and here eight of his twelve children were horn. In
1805 he removed to Cavendish, Vt., where he died February 26, 1808.
His widow was a pensioner, and died in 1845, aged ninety-five years.
Their son Sullivan, horn in Ilolliston, October 8, 1770, and named in
honor of Gen. Sullivan, lived in Fitchburg from 1771) to 1800, when he-
removed to Lexington. He served with distinction in the war ol 1812,
and was brevetted major. In 1815 he was commissioned captain in the
United States army, and in 1889 resigned as colonel. Subsequently lie-
was a prominent citizen of Lexington, where he died September 80,
1862. Their son, Daniel, born in Fitchburg, August 31. 1 7.S5, was ac-
cidentally killed, June 12, 1804, by the thurst of a bayonet during a
sham fight at a military muster in Westminster.
7. Edward Burnap enlisted at Reading, March 28,
1781, for three years' service in the Continental arm v.
In descriptive list his age was seventeen years, stature five
feet ten inches, complexion dark, and occupation farmer.
He was born in Reading, 1768, came to Fitchburg in 1791, and died
here August 1, 1827; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. His wife, Mary,
died May 1, 1855. Eight children were born in Fitchburg.
8. Solomon Carlton, while a resident of Billerica,
served in Capt. Edward Turner's company, raised to re-
enforce Gen. Gates' army, at Saratoga, 1777.
He was a son of John and Hannah (Platts) Carlcton, was born in
Billerica, June 22, 1742. He married, 1769, Elizabeth Manning, and
removed to Fitchburg in 1788. Five children were born in Billerica and
one in Fitchburg. He died September 12, 1828. His widow, Elizabeth,
died September 5, 1825; buried at Dean Hill cemeterv.
9. Samuel Caswell served from Marblehead in the
siege of Boston, 1775, in Capt. William Bacon's company
of Col. John Glover's regiment, and in Capt. Hooker's
compan}r at the seacoast in 1776. At Shutesbury he en-
listed into the Continental army in July, 1780, being one
of the three months recruits raised that year to reenforee
the army on the Hudson.
Samuel Caswell was the son of John and Elizabeth (Savage) Cas-
well, was born in Marblehead, (baptized September 27, 174-7). He mar-
ried at Marblehead, December 17, 1771, Sarah Hutchinson. He removed
to Shutesbury about 1778. Wendell, severed from Shutesbury, including
his homestead, was incorporated in 1781. He removed from Wendell to
222 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
Fitchburg in 171)5, purchasing the farm of Stephen Pingrey on Dean
Mill. He died in Fitchburg, April C>, 1819; his widow died October 15,
1*125.
10. Elisha Chamberlain, at sixteen years of age,
served in a Wrentham company, under command of Capt.
Samuel Co well, in the expedition of 1778 to Rhode Island.
He was a son of Moses and Sarah (Partridge) Chamberlain, was
born in Walpole, Mass., September 2, 17(52; married in Newton, May G,
17S4, Susannah Brown, a daughter of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (lame-
son) Brown. He came to Fitchburg in 178C> and resided here fifteen
years, on what was later known as the Goodhue place on the old Leom-
inster road. Subsequently he lived in Svvanzey and Keene, N. H., where
he died June 1 1, 1840.
11. Samuel Derby, while a resident of Concord,
served in Capt. Jesse Wyman's company at Rhode Island
from May 7 to May 30, 1777; and in Capt. John But-
tnck's company of Col. Reed's regiment at Saratoga,
1777; and in Capt. Samuel Heald's company at Rhode
Island from September 5 to November 5, 1771).
Hujtllkl jk'llh Wim a Nttit ol Amos mid Helen (llosmci) Derby, born
in Concord, januarj 3d, 1751). He removed to Fitchburg in 1781;
married, December 8, 17812, Ilepsibah Wheeler, a daughter of Benjamin
and Lucy Wheeler of Concord. A few years later he removed to Green-
field, and died in Walt haul..
Aaron Derby, brother of Samuel (No. 11 above), born in Concord.
November 20, 1761, came to Fitchburg, 1781; married here, January 8,
1789, Mary Phillips, and here their seven children were born. He died
February 20, 1848; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. He is said to have
been a Revolutionary soldier, but no definite statement of service can
be given as his name does not appear on the rolls at the State House.
12. John Dole of Lunenburg served in Capt. George
Kimball's company, Lexington alarm, and in Capt. For-
tunatus Eager's company, December 17, 177G, to March
27, 1727, to reenforce the army in New Jersey.
John Dole was born 174-7; married, August 23, 1776, F^imice Saun-
derson, born 174-7, daughter of Abraham and Patience (Smith) Saun-
derson of Lunenburg. Late in life he lived with his son, Stephen, in
Fitchburg, and here died June 28, 1S24. His widow died March 1,
1826; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
13. Zaccmhus Farweix, while a resident of Groton,
served in Capt. John SawtelLs company, Lexington alarm,
and in Capt. Henry Far well's company, eight months in
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 223
siege of Boston, 1775. In 1778 he served from April 1 to
July 1, in Capt. Isaae Woods' company at Cambridge,
guarding prisoners; and in Gen. Lo veil's brigade at Rhode
Island from July 30 to September 12, 1778.
Zaccheus Farwell, son of Daniel and Mary Farwell, was born in
Groton, June 27, 1753; married, January IS, 1780, Lydia Gilson, a
daughter of Eleazer Gilson of Pepperell, and the same year removed to
Fitchburg, where he died July 28, 1811 ; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
14. Amos Fiske of Waltliam served in Capt. Abra-
ham Peiree's (Waltham) company, Lexington alarm, and
in siege of Boston, 1775; also in Capt. Peiree's company
of Guards at Cambridge in 1778.
Amos Fiske was a son of Abijah and Elizabeth (Uphani) Fiske,
born in Waltham, April 25, 175-t. He married, May 29, 1777, Mary
Whitney, a daughter of William and Mary (Peirce) Whitney; came to
Fitchburg in 1771), and Jived here twenty years or more. One child was
born in Waltham and several in Fitchburg, of whom there is no record.
15. Benjamin Flint of Reading served repeated enlist-
ments during the war; but the Benjamin Flints of Read-
ing were so numerous — including Benjamin, Jr., and up to
3d and 4th of the name— all having service credited to
them, that a definite statement of service of any particu-
lar one cannot be given.
Benjamin Flint, son of Capt. Thomas and Prisciila (Porter) Flint,
born in Reading, September 23, 1755; married, February 24-. 177<s, Re-
becca (Upton) Flint, a daughter of Jacob and Rebecca (Upton) Upton,
and widow of his brother Jonathan Flint. He removed in 17(J() to
Fitchburg, and here died June 8, 1830. His widow died October 26,
1841; both, buried in Dean Hill cemeter}'.
16. Jonathan Flint, while residing at Reading, served
in Capt. John Flint's company, Lexington alarm, and in
the siege of Boston, 1775.
He came to Fitchburg in 1778 and settled on Dean Hill. He died
in 1835.
17. Abijah Goodridge served on the quota of Lunen-
burg, in Capt. John Fuller's company, eight months, in
siege of Boston, 1775; in Capt. Joseph Bellows' company,
at Bennington, 1777; and in Capt. Nathaniel Carter's com-
pany, Saratoga, 1777.
224 FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
Abijah Goodridge, a son of Joshua and Lydia (Stearns) Goodridge,
was born .in Lunenburg, February 21, 1 754. In 1780 he removed to
Fitchburg, and in 184-0 he was one of the eight Revolutionary pension-
ers residing in the town. He married first, Eunice Martin; married sec-
ond, 1808, Euniee 1'hillips; married third, 1816, Elizabeth Bovnton.
He died April 12, 184-2; buried in South street cemetery.
18. Moses Hale served on the quota of Newbury, in
Major William Rogers' battalion, at Rhode Island in 1778.
He was a son of Moses and Margaret (Huse) Hale, and a grand-
son of Rev. Moses Hale of Byfield Parish, and was born in Newbury,
July 5, 1745. He married Abigail Smith, and came to Fitchburg and
purchased the farm on South street, previously owned by Capt. William
Thurlow. He died February 9, 1814-; his widow, Abigail, died July 14-,
1825; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. Their son, Samuel Hale, was the
father of Gov. Samuel W. Hale of New Hampshire, and of John and
Henry Hale of New York.
19. Benjamin Hartwell served from Littleton in
Lieut. Aquilla Jevvett's company, Lexington alarm, 1775;
in Capt. Jonathan Minott's company, of Col. Baldwin's
regiment, in 1776.
He was a son of Josiah and Rethia (Patch) Hartwell, born in Lit-
tleton, November 4, 1750; married, November 20, 1778, Sarah Saun-
derson, born February 9, 1752, daughter of Aloses and Mary (Flagg)
Saunderson of Littleton. He removed to Fitchburg in 1781, and died
here April 3, 1813.
20. Lemuel Haskell of Harvard served in Capt.
Gates' company, Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775, nine
and one-half days.
He was a son of Samuel and Sybil (Willard) Haskell, born in Har-
vard, February 16, 1746-47. He removed from Harvard to Fitchburg
in 1776, and was not again in the service. He died in this town, June
18, 1793; he married at Harvard, October 12, 1769, Lucy Green of
Lancaster. She married second, June 13, 1798, Dea. David Wilder of
Leoiriinster.
21. William Haskell, while a resident of Harvard,
served in Capt. Gates' company, at Lexington alarm ; in
Capt. Burt's company, in siege of Boston, 1775; and in
Capt. Whitney's company, 1777.
He was a son of Samuel and Sybil (Willard) Haskell, born in Har-
vard, September 20, 1751. He removed from Harvard to Fitchburg
about 1783. Two children of William and Mercy Haskell were born in
this town.
Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
225
22. Abraham Jaquith, while a resident of Billerica,
served in Capt. Solomon Kidder's company, at White
Plains, New York, in 177G. It is probable he rendered
other service; there were two ef the same name.
kttral&ni Jaquith, son of Muaham and ttav.nah (parity) Ja^utth
of Billeriea, was boru January 3, \717\ mank\i M*y 11, 1751 fb'z.a-
betb Hill of Billerica. Ik came to Fitchlm^ in U7*, and here d
October 15, 1.802; buried in South sire«t cemetery.
23. Jeremiah Kinsman, while a resilient of Ipswich,
served in Capt. Daniel Rogers' company, Lexington ahum,
April 19, 1775; in Col. Samuel Johnson's regiment, 1777,
at Saratoga, and in Col. Wade's regiment at Rhode Island,
1778.
Jeremiah Kinsman was horn in Ipswich, November G, 17-1S, and
with his wife, Martha, removed to Fitchburg in 17SG. His first wife,
Martha, died in Fitchburg, April 11, 1SK). aged 02 years He married
second, 1812, Lydia Caldwell of New Ipswich. He died in Fitchburg,
November 6, 1828; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
24. Amos Lawrence served in Capt. Jonathan Gates'
company (Ashburnham), Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775,
and was at Cambridge eleven days. It is probable that
he was the Amos Lawrence who served in Capt. William
Thurlow's company, Bennington alarm, 1777.
Amos Lawrence, son of Benjamin and Jane (Russell) Lawrence, was
born in Westborough, August 7, 174-8. He settled in the north part of
Ashburnham, 1 774-, and removed to Fitchburg, 1791, where he died
June (J, 1840, (headstone June 8); buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. He
married, January 22, 1772, Sarah Wetherbee, who died April 5, 1818;
he married second, in Fitchburg, October 7, 1819, Mary Whiting. Ten
children by first wife were born in Ashburnham, and three by second
wife, born in Fitchburg. Amos Lawrence was a first cousin to Dea.
Samuel Lawrence, the father of Hon. Amos Lawrence of Boston.
25. Daniel McIntire served from Reading, in Capt.
Wyman's company, in Rhode Island, May 10 to July 10,
1777; in Col. Brooks' regiment, guarding prisoners, No-
vember 5, 1777, to April 3, 1778; in Gen. Lovell's bri-
gade, at Rhode Island, August 1 to September 12, 1778;
and in Capt. Heath's company, guarding prisoners, from
February 13 to May 12, 1779.
Daniel McIntire, son of John and Mary McIntire, born in Reading;
married in Reading, February 27, 1781, Sarah Hutchinson, a daughter
226
Fitchburg Soldiers of tlie Revolution.
of Josiah and Sarah (Dean) Hutchinson of Reading. He removed to
Fitchburg in 1786. He was a resident here in 1803, but no record of
his death is found. His sons, Daniel and Jacob, settled in Ashhurnham.
26. Elias MclNTIRE, while a resident of Reading,
served at Boston, in Capt. Nathaniel Heath's company,
from February 13 to May 12, 1779.
Hlias Mclntire, son of John and Mary Mclntire, was horn in Read-
ing, 1701. In 171)1 he bought land of Jonathan Fletcher and removed
to Fitchburg in 1702. In 1807 he removed to Stoddard, X. H., where
he died. He married Rehecea Underwood, a daughter of Joseph and
Mary (Poole) Underwood of Reading. Four children were horn in this
town.
27. Jacob McIntire, born 1757, served in the Revo-
lution on the quota of Middleton, nine months in the
Continental army, in 1778, and six weeks in Col. Ger-
rish's regiment in 1779.
fie married, June 4-, 1777, Phebe Hutchinson, a daughter of Josiah
and Sarah (Dean) Hutchinson. He removed to Fitchburg in 1781. He
died here, September 23, 1828; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. (It is
probable he was a brother of Daniel Mclntire, No. 25 above).
28. Abijah Mead of Lincoln was a corporal in Capt.
William Smith's company of minute-men, Lexington alarm,
a sergeant in Capt. Asahel Wheeler's company in 177G,
and served in Capt. Zachariah Fitch's company from Au-
gust 23 to September 30, 1770. It is stated by William
F. Wheeler that he enlisted at Lincoln in 1777 into the
Continental army for three years.
Abijah Mead was a son of David and Mary (Bond) Mead, was
born in Lincoln, and there baptized March 1, 17-tO-oO. He came to
Fitchburg in 1787, and married, 1788, Hepsibah Graves of Wayland.
In 171)9 he removed from this town, and died in the almshouse at Lin-
coln, May 1, 1837, aged eighty-seven. He was a pensioner.
29. John Mekriam, while a resident of Sudbury,
served as corporal in Capt. Joseph Smith's company, Col.
James Barrett's regiment, which marched on the alarm at
Lexington, April 19, 1775; service three days. He served
as private in Capt. Asahel Wheeler's company, Col. John
Robinson's regiment, from February 4-, 1770, one month
and twenty-eight days. Other service should, perhaps, be
credited to him.
FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 227
John Merriam, a son of John and Mary (Bancroft) Mcrriam, was
born in Sudbury, December 0, 1 701 ; married Dinah Hudson, born in
Sudbury, July 31, 17(50, daughter of Darius and Dinah (Goodnow) Hud-
son. He was a carpenter and builder; lived in Concord, Lincoln,
Uxbridge and Fitchburg. He was a pensioner. He died in Pitchburg,
July 20, 18+3; his wife died November 5, 1843; buried in Laurel Hill
cemetery. Their daughter, Cynthia, was the wife of Samuel Willis, a
manufacturer of Pitchburg.
30. Euphalet PERLEY, while a resident of Dan vers
in 1775, was a corporal in Capt. Israel Hutchinson's com-
pany, Lexington alarm, and subsequently a sergeant in
Capt. Hutchinson's company in siege of Boston.
lie was a son of Asa and Susannah (Lowe) Perley, was born in
Boxford, November 22, 174-7, and married. March 21-, 1 774-, Anna Por-
ter, a daughter of John and Apphia (Putnam) Porter. In 1777 he re-
moved to Rindge, N. Ih, and six years later he removed from Rindge to
Fitchburg. He died in this town April 15, 1822; his widow, Anna, died
July 10, 1825; both buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
31. ICHABOD Perry, while a resident of Hopkinton,
served in Capt. Henry Leland's company of Col. Willys'
regiment, service forty-three days; in Capt. Amasa Cran-
ston's company, Col. Samuel Denny's regiment, autumn of
1779, one month and six days at Clavernack.
He was a son of Samuel and Ruth (I.eland) Perry, born January
7, 175G; came to Fitchburg 1780; married, January 24, 1782, Hannah
Newton of Ilolliston, born December 13, 1702, daughter of Simeon and
Jerusha (Marsh) Newton He removed to Leominster about 1784, where
he died. 1 1 is widow died April 25, 184-7, aged Si- years.
32. Blanky Phillips, while a resident of Duxbury,
served in Capt. Samuel Bradford's company, Lexington
alarm, 1775.
lie was a son of Blauey and Christian (Wadsworth) Phillips, was
born in Duxbury, July 3, 1736. lie removed to Fitchburg in 1 780, and
here died December 10, 1S24. His wife, Sarah, died June 10, 1821.
33. Stephen Pingrey, while a resident of Littleton,
served in Capt. Aaron Jewett's company from July 27 to
November 29, 1777, at Bennington and Saratoga; also
in Capt. John Porter's company, Col. Denny's regiment,
from October 19 to November 23, 1779, at Clavernack.
Stephen Pingrey was a sou of Stephen and Anna (Jewel t) Pingrey,
was born in Rowley, June 3, 1759. He came to Fitchburg in 1784 and
228 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
resided for ten years in the vicinity of Dean Hill. Subsequently he lived
in Pranconia, N. II., where his wife died June 12, 1838. He died at
Groton, May 8, 184-4. lie was a pensioner.
34. David Pratt, while a citizen of Westminster,
served in Capt. John Estabrook's company, Lexington
alarm, 1775, and remained at Cambridge ten days.
David Pratt and wife, Hepsibah, settled in Westminster about 1770.
\\\ 1778 he removed to Fitchburg and here died June 20, 1839, aged
ninety-three years; his wife, Hepsibah, died August 8, 1839, aged eighty-
eight years. Pour children were born in Westminster and seven in
Fitchburg. He was buried in Laurel Hill cemetery.
35. John Pratt was a soldier from Harvard, and on
June 1, 1782, he was paid a bounty in that town tor en-
listing into the Continental army for the term of three
years. Perhaps serviee of an earlier date should be cred-
ited to him, but there were so many of the same name
that it is difficult to specify service of any one where no
town is given.
John Pratt, a son of John and Mary (Hale) Pratt, was born in
Harvard, February 7, 1700. He married, May 28, 1788, Rebecca Derby,
bora 17GG. Before his marriage he settled in Pitchburg, and died here
December 15, 1823; buried in Laurel Hill cemetery. His widow, in
1810, was one of the eight Revolutionary pensioners then in Pitchburg,
and was living with her son, John Derby Pratt, a pioneer in the manu-
facture of chairs in this town.
36. Gen. James Reed of Fitzwilliam, N. H., in re-
sponse to the alarm at Lexington in April, 1775, raised a
company of volunteers and marched with them to Cam-
bridge. On the first of June he was commissioned a col-
onel and was engaged with his regiment, on the seventeenth
of June at Bunker Hill. He served through the siege of
Boston, being stationed at Winter Hill in Somerville. In
1 770 he accompanied the patriot army to New York, and
served under Gen. Sullivan in relieving the force under Gen.
Arnold, in its retreat from Canada. On the ninth of Au-
gust, on the recommendation of Washington, he was com-
missioned a brigadier-general. Owing to the loss of his
sight by illness, while stationed at Ticonderoga, he was
retired from the army on half-pay until the close of the
war.
FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 229
Gen. James Reed was a son of Lieut. Thomas and Sarah (Sawyer;
Reed, and was born in Woburn, January 8, 1722-23. lie was a veteran
of the French and Indian war, and served almost continuously as cap-
tain of a company of provincial troops from 1755 to the termination
of the war in 1762. lie married Abigail Hinds of New Salem, and first
settled in Brookfield, Mass., but in 1751 removed to Lunenburg, where
for several years he was an innholder. From Lunenburg, about 170."),
he removed to Monadnock No. -1, now Fitzwilliam, N. II., where he-
built the first frame house in the new town, and maintained it for some-
years as an inn. After retiring from the service in 1776, he resided tor
some years in Keene, N. II., where his wife, Abigail, died August 27,
1791. He married second, Mary Farrar of Fitzwilliam, and removed in
1798 to Fitchburg. He died here, February 13, 1807, and was buried
in Laurel Hill cemetery. He had six sons and four daughters.
37. Ezra Ritter served nine months in the Continen-
tal army on the quota of Lunenburg from June to March,
1779, in Capt. Samuel King's company of Col. Thomas
Marshall's regiment.
He was a son of Moses and Hannah Ritter, born in Lunenburg,
1761; married, October 9, 1784-, Mary Carlton, and removed to Fitch-
burg in 178G. He was a resident here twenty-five or more years and
five children were born here.
38. Robert Samson, while a resident of Duxburv,
served five enlistments. He was in Capt. Thomas Turner's
company of Col. Marshall's regiment, from April 1 to De-
cember 1, 1776; in Lieut. Nathan Samson's company fif-
teen days, alarm at Bristol, R. I., in December, 1776;
in Capt. Andrew Samson's company at Plymouth, in
1777; in Capt. Calvin Partridge's company of Col. Abijah
Stearns' regiment, at Dorchester Heights, from April to
July, 1778, and in Capt. Calvin Curtis' company at Rhode
Island from July, 1778 to January, 1779.
He was born in Duxbury, married Olive Phillips, and removed to
Fitchburg in 1792. Three children were born in Duxburv and five in
Fitchburg He died in Fitchburg; buried in South street cemetery.
39. Jabez Sawyer, while a resident of Harvard, served
in Capt. Samuel Hill's company of Col. Josiah Whitney's
regiment, which was commanded by Lieut. Kphraim Saw-
yer, in a rcenforcement in 1777 of the northern army.
He was a son of Capt. Manasseh and Lydia (Fairbanks) Sawyer,
was born in Harvard, December 24-, 1759; removed to Fitchburg in
16
230 Fitcliburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
1786, and here married, 1787, Hannah Brooks, horn May 17, 1766, a
daughter of John and Eunice (Derby) Brooks. Seven children were horn
in this town. He died December 21, 184-1, aged eighty-two years; buried
at South street cemetery.
40. Zachariah Sheldon enlisted at Reading and
served in Capt. John Flint's company, Lexington alarm,
and in the third Reading company, commanded by Capt.
Amos Upton, and later by Capt. John Flint, in siege of
Boston, 1775.
Zachariah Sheldon was a son of Nathaniel and Anna (Fitch) Shel-
don, was born in Reading, 1751; married, October 20, 1785, Alary
Jones, born in Andover, January 20, 17GS, a daughter of Josiah and
Rebecca (Jenkins) Jones, lie lived in Andover five years, and removed
to Fitchburg 1700, and was here a farmer on the Ashby road, lie died,
March 30, 1815. His mother, Anna (Fitch) Sheldon, died in this town,
April 25, 1820, aged ninety-one 3'ears. She was a daughter of Zacha-
riah and Abigail (Davison) Fitch of Boston.
4-1. Daniel Stewart served on the quota of Lunen-
burg in a battalion stationed at Hull, in Capt. Aaron
Guild's company from June 25 to November 1, 1776.
lie was a son of Solomon ami Martha (Farrington) Stewart, born
November 21, 1731. The family settled in Lunenburg in 1737. He mar-
ried, March 11, 1757, Mary Ireland, a daughter of Abraham and Ann
(Bird) Ireland. He removed from Liuienburg to Fitchburg in 1791, and
died here June 2, 1S02.
42. Jacob Stewart served on the quota of Lunen-
burg in Col. Doolittle's regiment, siege of Boston, 1775,
and with his brother Daniel, at Hull in 1776. In January,
1778, he enlisted into the Continental service for three
years, and was assigned to Capt. White's company of
Col. Putnam's regiment.
Jacob Stewart was a son of Solomon and Martha (Farrington)
Slewarl, was born in Lunenburg, April 22, 1713. He married, Novem-
ber IS, 1766, Elizabeth Feiree, a daughter of Ephraim and Esther (Shedd)
Peirce. He came to Fitchburg in 1764, and was elected to office in
1765 and 17G6. He removed to Lunenburg in 1770, resided there eight
years, when he returned to Fitchburg, but soon removed to Claremont,
N. H. Two children were born here.
43. Luther Stone, a resident of Framingham, served
in Capt. Simon Edgell's company, Lexington alarm, 1775.
Luther Stone, a son of Hon. Josiah and Ann (Haven) Stone, was
born in Framingham, April 11, 1753; married Mary Trowbridge, born
FitcJiburg Soldiers of the Revolution. 281
in Framingham, July 10, 1758, daughter of John and Margaret (Far-
rar) Trowbridge. In 1795 lie removed to Northborough and subse-
quently to Fitchburg, where he died December 20, 1838; buried in Lau-
rel Hill cemetery. His daughter Harriet was the wile of Capt. Alpheus
Kimball.
44. William Tidmarsh was of Hull in 1756, and
served in Lieut. Heinan Lincoln's company a few days,
alarm service. Later he was captain's clerk on the brig
"Hazard" from August 22, 1777, to April 20, 1779. This
brig, carrying sixteen guns, was built in Boston and was
owned by the Commonwealth. The vessel made three or
four successful cruises and was burned in August, 1779,
by the crew, to prevent her from falling into the hands
of the enemy. Subsequently, William Tidmarsh was cap-
tain's clerk on the ship "Mars" from May, 1780, to
March, 1781.
William Tidmarsh married, at Hingham, November 19, 1781, Mary
Thaxter, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Leavitt) Thaxter, of Hing-
ham. In 1782 he removed to Fitchburg, where lie lived several years.
Mrs. Tidmarsh died a widow in Hingham, September 1, 1834-. Two
daughters were born in Fitchburg, who died unmarried in Hingham.
45. Joseph Underwood enlisted on the quota of
Ashby to serve for three years in the Continental army
from June 13, 1777. He was assigned to Capt. Parker's
company, Col. Bailey's regiment, and was later in Capt.
Ballard's company of Col. Brooks' regiment, and finally
in Capt. White's compan}' of Col. Brooks' regiment, in
which he served to June 13, 1780. On some of the rolls
his service was credited to Westford.
Joseph Underwood, son of Joseph aud Ruth (Bancroft) Underwood,
was born in Reading about 174-2. He married, 1762, Ruth Poole, and
lived in Reading until 170-i, when he removed to Fitchburg, where he
died. Five or more children were born in Reading, and of those, Man-
was the wife of Thomas Miles of Fitchburg.
46. Jacob Upton of North Reading served in Capt.
John Flint's company at the Lexington alarm, April 19,
1775, and was enrolled in Capt. Flint's company in May,
1775.
Jacob Upton, son of Joseph and Abigail (Gray) Upton, was born in
North Reading, June 12, 1726. He lived in North Reading until 1777,
when he removed to Fitchburg where he was an innholder and farmer
232 Fitchburg Soldiers of the Revolution.
on the farm now (1908) of Charles L. Fairbanks. He married, January
24-, 1750, Rebecca Upton, a daughter of Ezekiel and Joanna (Newmarch)
Upton. Nine children were born in North Reading and one (1778) in
Fitchburg. lie died in Fitchburg, June 3, 1801; his widow died Sep-
tember 25, 1823, aged eighty-four years; both buried in Dean Hill
cemetery.
The following named soldiers neither lived in the town
of Fitehburg nor served on its quota, but they are buried
here and their graves are marked as Revolutionary sol-
diers :
Edmund Flint served in Col. Fox's regiment at Fish-
kill nine months in 1778.
He was a son of Jonathan and Lydia (Proctor) Flint, born in
Reading, December 8, 175S; married, December 6, 1781, Abigail Damon,
born November 16, 1784-. After the war he settled, 1784-, in Ashby, and
there resided until his death. He died February 25, 184-0; his wife died
October 9, 1834; both buried in Dean Hill cemetery.
Thomas Laws served in Capt. Elisha Jackson's com-
pany twenty-two days in the autumn of 1777. The com-
pany marched from Westminster under command of Alaj.
Ebenezer Bridge to reenforce the northern army under
On. Gates.
lie w.ts a son <»l Jiiint:, mid Iviliiii'r (llntilvy) Laws, bolli in Mil
lerica, November 20, 1737. lie settled in Westminster and there resided
until his death. He died September 14, 1803, and his widow, Hannah,
died November 1, 1806; both buried in Dean Hill cemetery.
At each of the graves of the Revolutionary soldiers
buried in the several cemeteries of this city, so far as their
location is. known, there has been placed, — through the
liberality of Mr. Henry A. Willis of this society — the dis-
tinguishing symbol adopted for that purpose by the Sons
of the American Revolution. And each year, when the
members of the Grand Army Post make their annual visi-
tation to the graves of their departed comrades, these
graves of Revolutionary sires receive the same attention
that is bestowed upon those of the deceased veterans of
the Civil War. There is a fitness that the same hands
should decorate the graves of both. The tirst offered their
lives a sacrifice to the independence of their country; the
latter went forth to battle for the preservation of its
integrity.
AN EARLY HOSPITAL OF FITCHBURG.
Read at a meeting of the Society, Octolwr 26, 1908.
BY EZRA SCOELAY STEARNS, A. M.
Thaddeus Maccarty married in Boston June 16, 1716,
Mary Greenough. Thaddeus Maccarty, a son of Thad-
deus and Mary (Greenough) Maccarty, was born in Bos-
ton July 18, 1721. He was a graduate of Harvard Uni-
versity in the class of 1739. He married in Boston
September 8, 1743, Mary Gatcomb, a daughter of Fran-
cis and Rachel (Partridge) Gatcomb. He was the minister
of the church in Worcester many years. Among the fif-
teen children of Rev. Thaddeus and Mary (Gatcomb)
Maccarty was a son, Thaddeus, born at Worcester Decem-
ber 19, 1747. He was a graduate of Yale in the class of
1766, and pursued a course of instruction in medicine
under the direction of Dr. John Frink of Rutland. He
entered upon the practice of his chosen profession in Dud-
ley, and there was associated in business with Dr. Ebene-
zer Lillie. In 1773 the professional partnership was dis-
solved, and Dr. Maccarty the same year settled in Fitch-
burg. At the earnest and repeated solicitation of his ven-
erable father, who was aged and feeble, Dr. Maccarty
removed from Fitchburg to Worcester in June, 1781. In
1785 he became a Fellow of the Massachusetts Medical
Society. It is said by Mr. Lincoln, the historian of Wor-
cester, that he did not receive adequate patronage in his
native town, and that he removed in 1789 to Keene,
N. H. At Keene he established a drug store at his dwell-
ing, which was on Washington street and nearly opposite
the jail. He was a selectman of Keene in 1796, 1797, and
1801, and a justice of the peace from 1797 until his
death. Beginning in 1793, he conducted for a short time
a hospital for the inoculation and treatment of small-
pox at Charlestown, N. H., and it is worthy of mention
234 An Early Hospital of Fitchburg.
that his former associate, Dr. Atherton, opened about the
same time a similar hospital in Lancaster. Dr. Maccarty
died in Keene November 21, 1809. He married in Fitch-
burg January 16, 1775, Experience Cowdin, a daughter
of Capt. Thomas and Experience (Gray) Cowdin of Fitch-
burg. She died at Worcester January 24, 1789. They
had two children. Elizabeth, the younger, died in infancy,
and Mary, born August 8, 1775, married at Keene No-
vember 30, 1801, John William Stiles, born at Keene
February 22, 1777, a son of Jeremiah and Mary (Sanger)
Stiles. After marriage they lived in Templeton and in
Worcester, where he died September 24, 1836. His wid-
ow, Mary, died August 1, 1838. Their daughter, Mary
Maccarty Stiles, was the wife of Henry K. Newcomb of
Worcester. Their daughter Lydia married Alfred Dwight
Foster, an able lawyer of Worcester.
Such, briefly stated, were the parents, the academic
and professional education and the limits of the life work
of the first physician of Fitchburg. His parents and his
grandparents were worthy representatives of the most
prominent families of their time. Except William Downe,
who died before the town was incorporated, and the Rev.
John Pay son, he was the only college graduate who
resided in Fitchburg before the close of the Revolution.
Rev. Charles Stearns, a graduate of Harvard University,
was born in the part of original Lunenburg now Fitch-
burg, but his parents removed to Leominster before he
had entered the universit}'.
For reasons which will be stated in a subsequent par-
agraph, the name of Dr. Maccarty is not often found
during the first six years of his residence in Fitchburg.
As soon, however, as his professional labors were less
exacting, his townsmen gave frequent expression of their
esteem and their estimate of his ability and worth.
In 1779 he was chosen an assessor of taxes, and at
the annual meetings in March, 1780, and 1781, he was
chosen a selectman. He was one of a committee to hire
soldiers, and in this service his associates were Col. Eben-
ezer Bridge, Capt. Thomas Cowdin, Capt. William Thur-
low, and Capt. Jonathan Wood. In August, 1779, was
assembled at Worcester the historic convention for the
Aji Early Hospital of Fitchburg. 235
regulation of prices of commodities. In this convention
Dr. Maccarty was a delegate from this town. A few days
after the convention was dissolved, the town of Fitehburg,
at a special meeting, voted "To accept the proceedings of
the convention at Worcester."
It is not my purpose on this occasion to present a
sketch of Dr. Maccarty. I desire to call attention to his
conscientious labors and self-sacrifice in the successful
treatment of the most dreaded and malignant disease of
his time. To-day, living under improved sanitary condi-
tions, enjoying the benefit of better legislation, more effi-
cient enforcement of the laws, and protected by vacci-
nation, we can hardly realize the constant fear of the
small-pox, which during the life of Dr. Maccarty exer-
cised the public mind. This alarm was not unfounded.
In the French and Indian wars the number of deaths
from small-pox in the hospitals was greater than the cas-
ualties of battle. Soldiers returning to their homes intro-
duced this dread disease into nearly every town of the
colonies. This secondary devastation of war was carried
to peaceful firesides, and the avenging and merciless spectre
of war gathered many of the fathers and mothers, the
brothers and sisters, of the soldiers to its merciless bosom.
Again, in the Revolution, the small-pox, with its trail of
sickness and death in the field and in the homes, was a
stronger and more dreaded foe than the hostile army.
In one of the Massachusetts regiments serving in New
York in 1776, there were over four hundred cases of this
disease. The. army retreating from Canada early in 1777
experienced an unusual amount of sickness and suffered
extreme loss from the small-pox. Many here will recall
the fact that, at one time not long before the Revolution,
when the disease was prevalent in Boston, many of the
wholesale merchants .closed their stores and temporarily
conducted their business in Med ford.
The people of Medford also became alarmed, and in
town meeting voted "That a fence and gates be erected
across the main country road, and a smoke house also be
erected near Medford great bridge and another smoke
house at the West End, and guards be kept." In this in-
stance the town proposed to smoke every traveler from
'
236 Au Early Hospital of FitcJiburg.
the east or from the west, and stationed a guard at the
main thoroughfare to enforce the edict. In the contempo-
raneous records of many towns are found passages expres-
sive of the constant fear of the most dreaded and con-
tagious of all diseases.
In an era of such danger and reasonable alarm it is
not surprising that many voluntarily exposed themselves,
or were inoculated for the disease, that they might enjoy
the security of the immune in after life.
The first physician of America who advocated this
heroic method of protection was Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, a
learned and skillful physician of Boston. He inoculated
his son and the servants of his household, and when oth-
ers came to him for treatment he was combatted by the
profession and frowned upon by the public and by the
government. In the progress of years and by a significant
reduction of the death rate in cases of the small-pox, the
opposition was 'weakened, and inoculation prevailed to a
much greater extent than is generally known. There are
some present, this evening who remember that in one of
the vivacious letters of Lady Alary Wortley Montague
this brilliant writer advocates voluntary inoculation for
t Ik* small pox.
As an illustration of the prevailing conditions and
practice during the early years of Dr. Macearty's career, I
will cite the report of a committee appointed in Boston
to gather statistics on this subject. In September, 1776,
the committee reported to a town meeting in Boston
"that 295 white persons and nine blacks had received the
small-pox in the natural way, and of these 29 had died,
being one death in every ten cases; and that 2873 resi-
dents of Boston, 1329 persons from other towns, and 786
soldiers, making a total of 4988 persons, had had the dis-
ease by inoculation. Of this number, 28 had died, being
one death to each 192 persons." The committee is in
error, the' figures indicate one death in each 178 cases.
About the time that Dr. Maccarty entered upon the
practice of his profession, Dr. James Latham came to
America and established his home at Livingston Manor
in New York. He introduced in this country what was
known in England as the Sutton method of treatment
An Early Hospital of Fitchburg. 237
of patients who had been inoculated for the disease. He
established a hospital at Great Barrington, but his prin-
cipal business consisted of contracts with physicians. The
medicines employed were a secret, and Dr. Latham fur-
nished his medicine to those physicians only who con-
tracted to pay him one-half of all the money they received
as fees for small-pox cases until the sum paid should
amount to three hundred pounds, and thereafter Dr. La-
tham was content with one-third of the fees of the con-
tracting physicians.
Dr. Maccarty had witnessed the activity and the
prevalence of the small-pox during and immediately suc-
ceeding the French and Indian war. He was conversant
with Boston, where in time of war and of peace the sea-
port was an exposed point and subject to frequent visita-
tions. At the dawn of the Revolution he could estimate,
as few were prepared to do, the danger from this conta-
gion during another war. He knew that the scourge
would again stalk abroad with renewed energy and ma-
lignity. While others were deaf or sleeping he heard the
future call of his friends and neighbors for the skill and
ministration of the good physician. He believed the Sut-
ton remedies were better than his own, and he realized the
necessity of immunity. In 1775 he surrendered his prac-
tice for a few weeks, repaired to the hospital at Great
Barrington, and there, combining experiment with theory,
he studied the nature of small-pox by having it. It was
a study and an investigation of the disease at short
range. All of his former theories were now tempered in
the fire of personal experience. To be a martyr of the
historic type one must close every avenue of escape and
suffer death. If there are degrees of martyrdom this
heroic self-sacrifice will write the name of Dr. Maccarty
upon the scroll of the brave who have willingly suffered
for the good of their fellowmen. As a part of his original
plan Dr. Maccarty contracted with Dr. Latham, on the
terms previously stated, for the use and for a supply of
the Sutton remedies. The license he received gave him per-
mission to use the remedies in all the towns of Worcester
county. Before the close of the year 1776 there were
several other physicians of the county who had made con-
238 An Early Hospital of Fitchburg.
tracts with Dr. Latham. It is probable that professional
courtesy restrained Dr. Maccarty from any attempt to
practice under the contract outside of Fitchburg and the
surrounding towns.
There is reasonable evidence that Dr. Maccarty began
the use of the new remedies before the close of the year
1775, and it is apparent that he soon realized the neces-
sit}' of a hospital for the accommodation of an increas-
ing number of patients and for the safety of the public.
There was a province law forbidding the establishment
of such hospitals without a special license from the court
of sessions. Such permission was not delayed. At a ses-
sion of the court of sessions held at Worcester August
15, 1776, it was ordered that permission to erect five
hospitals for the inoculation of the smallpox be granted,
one in each of the towns of Fitchburg, Worcester, Lan-
caster, Uxbridge, and Hard wick, all to be subject to the
future order of the court. At the same session of the
court it was further ordered "That Dr. Thaddeus Mac-
carty is permitted to erect the hospital at Fitchburg.
That Dr. Samuel Crosby of Shrewsbury, Dr. Elijah Dix
and Dr. Joseph Lynde of Worcester are permitted to erect
the hospital at Worcester.
That Dr. William Dunsmoor and Dr. Josiah Wilder are
permitted to erect the hospital at Lancaster.
That Dr. Samuel Willard and Dr. Levi Willard are
permitted to eiect a hospital at Uxbridge.
That Dr. John Paddleford and Dr. William Woolson
are permitted to erect a hospital at Hardwiek." ■
In accordance with the existing laws of the province
the court further ordered that Moses Gill of Princeton,
Edward Davis of Dudley, Ebenezer Earned of Oxford,
Israel Nichols of Leominster, Daniel Henshaw of Leices-
ter, and William Young of Worcester be a committee to
establish rules and regulations for the conduct of the sev-
eral hospitals.
The rules and regulations formulated by this commit-
tee and approved by the court are too lengthy for quota-
tion, but are preserved in the records of the court at
Worcester, volume 4, Court of Sessions.
An Early Hospital of Fitchburg. 239
It was required that each patient should file a bond
of ten pounds that he would obey all the rules of the
hospital concerning the exposure of the public, that the
physician should visit each patient daily, that the hospi-
tal should be enclosed with a fence, a guard stationed at
the gate, and that no one should leave the premises with-
out a certificate of cleanliness, and no patient discharged
until he had been washed in rum and vinegar.
In a warrant for a town meeting convened in Fitch-
burg in September, 1776, is found an article:
"To see if the town will allow of a hospital for the
Anocalation for the Small Pox or act anything refering
theirto."
There is no record of a vote nor any other mention of
the subject in the town records, but it is safe to assume
that the town was not hostile to the proposition, and
probably, in view of the permission of the court of ses-
sions, the consent of the town was not necessary. And
immediately a capacious building was erected and a hos-
pital established. It was not as palatial nor as well
equipped as the Burbank hospital of the present, but in
every day of its activity it received a larger number of
patients. The number of accepted applicants from Fitch-
burg and the surrounding towns so rapidly increased that
Dr. Maccarty called to his assistance the professional ser-
vices of Dr. Israel Atherton of Lancaster. There is reason
for assuming that the hospital was in operation about
two years. The number of patients received and treated
was over eight hundred, and of this number only five
died. Exclusive of board, the regular and uniform charge
for medical attendance was one pound and ten shillings,
which in 1776 was equivalent to ten days of unskilled
labor or ten bushels of corn.
A brief sketch of Dr. Maccarty and reference to the
hospital in Fitchburg appears in Lincoln's History of
Worcester, page 216, and in the Worcester chapters of the
History of Worcester County, 1889, vol. II., page 1557.
Exclusive of the court records, the only original source of
information of which I have any knowledge is the man-
uscript of John W. Stiles, who married a daughter of Dr.
Maccarty, and who had access to his account books and
papers.
240 A?i Early Hospital of Fitchburg,
Mr. Torrey, in his history of Fitchburg, confirms the
statement of Mr. Stiles that over eight hundred patients
were treated at the hospital, and that of this number only
five died. In Mr. Torrey 's statement is found the added
fact that the dead were buried on the hill near the hospi-
tal, and that at one of the graves is a stone bearing the in-
scription, "Josiah Fairbanks of Lancaster, died March 12,
1777." Mr. Fairbanks was born in Lancaster in 1734.
He married Abigail Carter, and at his death they were the
parents of eight children from one month to sixteen years
of age. His widow subsequently married Samuel Wilder of
Lancaster.
Mr. Torrey says the hospital was on Buck hill and in
the rear of the dwelling house of Philip F. Covvdin. Mr.
Torrey was writing in 1835. one year before Mr.
Stiles prepared his account of the life work of Dr. Mac-
carty. The farm owned and occupied by Philip Farring-
ton Covvdin in 1835 previously had been the home of his
father, Thomas Cowdin, Jr., a brother of the wife of Dr.
Maecarty. The old Cowdin homestead is on the West-
minster Hill road, on a considerable elevation of land, and
not far from the line of Westminster. The buildings have
been gone several years and now the crumbling walls of
the cellar are the only visible evidence of one of the old
and substantial homesteads of Fitchburg. The exact lo-
cation of the hospital has faded from the memory and
traditions of the present generation of men. They planted
no lilacs near the door to mark the site in later 3rears.
Nowhere on this sightly hill, in the morning or the even-
ing of sunny days in June, do we find the damask rose
whose fragrance and bloom annually remind us of the
good physician and the practice of a former generation.
The veterans who survived the conflict with disease held
no reunions on the scene of their willing immolation. The
buildings long ago were removed, the foundations are ob-
literated, the headstone of Josiah Fairbanks cannot be
found, and, save the pen of Mr. Torrey pointing to Buek
hill, and slender aid in the registry of deeds at Worcester,
nothing now remains to define the exact location of the
first hospital of Fitchburg. There were three buildings.
The hospital was sevent3r-five feet long and twent\r-eight
An Early Hospital of FitcJiburg. 241
feet wide. Two smaller buildings were ereeted near. Phin-
eas Fullam, October 1, 177G, sold to Dr. Thaddeus Mac-
carty of Fitchburg and Dr. Israel Atherton of Lancaster
one hundred acres of land in Fitchburg, bounding one
hundred and sixty rods on Westminster line. November 1,
1779, Dr. Atherton sold an undivided half of the prem-
ises to Capt. Thomas Cowdin, and immediately Capt.
Cowdin and Dr. Maccarty, reserving the buildings, sold
the land to Thomas Cowdin, Jr. The original title of
Phineas Fullam is found in the Proprietors' Records of
Lunenburg, printed copy, page 244.
*
AN EARLY WORKINGMEN'S ASSOCIATION
OF FITCHBURG.
Read at a meeting of the Society, December 15, 1902.
BY EBENEZER BAILEY.
Societies and organizations of laboring men are not of
modern invention. Hundreds of years ago they existed in
Europe, but their numbers and importance have varied
with time and conditions. One hundred years ago labor
organizations of the modern kind were hardly in exist-
ence, but the conditions of labor and the system of indus-
try were assuming a form which induced and necessitated
the association of the working people for their own pro-
tection. It is not necessary to go into the evils and abuses
of the factory system in England in those early days, for
they are well known and universally admitted. Robert
Owen was one of the first to recognize the claims of the
employees on the employer, and his efforts were rewarded
with success, and did much to help on a general reform.
But Robert Owen finally became a socialist, and in 1826
he came to the United States and founded a community in
New Harmony, Indiana. His standing and reputation for
ability in England caused him to receive a great deal of
attention here, and many of our bright young minds were
prepared to receive with favor his socialist or communis-
tic doctrines.
The doctrine of Fourier, the French philosopher and
socialist, next affected society. From 184-2 to 1846 his
theories, which may be said to have been a compromise
between communism and the present industrial system,
spread rapidly throughout the country. They were advo-
cated by Horace Greeley, through the New York Tribune,
and numbers of communistic villages were established, the
principal of which were Brook Farm, The North American
FiBchbiirg Workingmetfs Association. 243
Phalanx, and the Wisconsin Phalanx. The "Harbinger,"
the official organ of Pourierism, was published at Brook
Parm. But while communism and Pourierism appealed
strongly to so mfeny young men and women at this time,
it was not a genuine labor movement, but had its roots
and its strength in the ideal, and in the intellectual con-
dition and feelings of the ardent and enthusiastic portion
of society at this period.
The cause of the rise and extension of the real labor
movement in the United States was the radical change in
character and the rapid growth of our industrial system.
New England, especially, which had been entirely agricul-
tural and commercial, was becoming the seat of" manu-
factures and of the factory system, with its whirling ma-
chinery and its thousands of looms and spindles. Men,
women, and boys and girls from the farms had become
mill hands, and were brought together as never before in
new and strenuous labor, for the sake of the small amount
of ready money which they could earn from month to
month — a great consideration for them.
The wages of factory operatives fifty or sixty years
ago seem to us very small, ranging from one dollar to
two dollars and a quarter per week for girls (including
board), and all the way from this to a dollar and a half
per day for overseers. The hours of labor, moreover,
would be the proper occasion for a strike in our time, for
the}' ranged from twelve to fifteen hours per day.
An old-time factory operative, writing of his experi-
ence in a factory in southern New Hampshire about 1850,
says: "Summer and winter were the only seasons, so lar
as length of working days was concerned, and I do not
remember the dates which separated them. In summer
the old factory bell rang at halt-past four in the morning
to rouse the village from its sleep, and five minutes before
five began tolling the summons to work. At five o'clock,
sharp, speed was on and every operative was expected to
be in his or her place to set the separate machines going.
At half-past six there was a shut-down of half an hour
for breakfast, and the denizens of the mill poured out and
scattered to their boarding places, and in a few minutes
began gathering more slowly and gradually back. At
244 Fitchburg Workingmen s Associaticui.
seven o'clock the machinery was going again and active
fingers moved constantly about, plying the many opera-
tions necessary to keep the processes in motion which
converted raw cotton into finished cloth. At half-past
twelve there was another half-hour stop for dinner, at the
end of which the relentless bell tolled the scattered forces
of industry back, to go through the same round until
seven o'clock at night. In winter the mill was not
started, and we did not have to be fit work, until six
o'clock, but we. had breakfast before going into the mill,
and we went out at half-past five in the afternoon to
supper, and returned at six, to work an hour and a half
longer."
The first distinctive labor organizations were formed
in New England about 1831. In that year the "New
England Association of Farmers, Mechanics and other
Workingmen" was formed in Boston, and agitation soon
followed in regard to ameliorating the condition of labor.
A man by the name of Seth Luther delivered lectures to
arouse interest in the subject in the principal towns and
cities of New England, and much sympathy was awak-
ened in regard to the hard condition of the factory oper-
atives. Among the prominent men in Massachusetts who
sympathized with the working people were Robert Kan-
tonl, William Ellery Charming, James G. Carter and Hor-
ace Mann. Robert Rantoul vindicated the legality of
labor organizations before the courts in 1842, which was
a matter of great importance to the cause of the work-
ingmen.
In April, 1840, President Van Buren signed a general
order introducing the ten-hour system into the navy yard
and in "all public establishments." This was a great aid
in the agitation for a reduction of the hours of labor in
the factories of Massachusetts, which was begun a little
later, and upon which a special legislative committee
made a report in 1845; but it was not till 1852 that
any reduction was obtained, and then of only two hours
per week.
It was in the year 1844 that a Workingmen's Associ-
ation was organized in Fitchburg. The town was grow-
Fitchburg W^rkingmens Association. 245
ing and further prosperity was assured by the nearly com-
pleted Fitchburg railroad. It had already become quite a
manufacturing place. The population doubled and the
valuation more than doubled from 1840 to 1850. Of
course the mill hands here worked as did mill hands in other
places. Mechanics made long days. In some of the indoor
employments they worked through the day and evening.
In outdoor employments the hours of labor were regui
lated more by the rising and setting of the sun, but twelve
hours was probably a good average day's work.
The New England towns were no longer farming com-
munities, as they were forty or fifty years before. The
Revolution, ushered in and justified by the Declaration of
Independence, had fostered in the people an intense hatred
of anything which seemed like oppression. The new social
conditions brought about by the introduction of large
manufacturing establishments, making prominent the dif-
ference between capitalist and laborer, was the occasion
of antagonism and protest.
In Fitchburg just these conditions were present. There
were one woolen and three cotton mills, and the hands
employed were native Americans, used to labor and will-
ing to labor, it is true, but proud, sensitive and independ-
ent, and besides these and sympathizing with them were
the numerous, intelligent mechanics of this growing
Then there were in Fitchburg quite a number
men of active mind and with literary and professional
ambitions, to whom any cause in the name of liberty and
equality made a strong personal appeal, and was eagerly
welcomed. Young professional men — students at law —
found it congenial and useful to take part in a movement
to improve the condition of the workingmen. There was
William S. Wilder, who had been editor of the Woreester
County Courier and the Fitchburg Sentinel, and who, in
company with E. K. Wilkins, was about to publish a
newspaper under the name of the "Wachusett Independ-
ent." There was William C. Elleek, a harness maker, who
some years previous had edited and published the "Cold
Water Cup and Fitchburg Washingtonian," and W. F.
Young, harness maker and dentist, soon to be editor of
the "Voice of Industry." All these men were interested
240 Fitchburg WorkingmetC s Association.
and prominent in the Fitchburg Workingmen's Associa-
tion.
The original record of this Association has fortunately
been preserved, and is now in the possession of this Soci-
ety. It contains the names of 131 members, 116 of whom
were males and 15 of whom were females. It contains
the record of twenty-six meetings — the first one being held
November 13, 1844, and the last meeting May 24, 1845.
From it we have gleaned some facts which may be of
local if not of general interest.
Some of the laborers and mechanics of Fitchburg had
conferred together on the question of forming a Working-
men's Association, and it had been looked upon with such
favor that a preliminary meeting had been called to meet
at the town hall near the upper common on Wednesday,
November 13, 1844. There were, says the record, "a re-
spectable number of the Laborers and Mechanics of Fitch-
burg" present. The presiding officer of the meeting was
Mr. Nathaniel Gilmore, a mechanic who worked in a foun-
dry. Mr. E. R. Wilkins was secretary. There were first
a few remarks from the chairman in regard to the design
of the meeting, after which Mr. Birch of Lynn addressed
those present in "a spirited manner" upon the danger which
threatened the laboring classes from the evils of society,
and the necessity of organization "to protect their rights
and secure the blessings bequeathed to them by Nature's
God." Other remarks were made and a committee of five
was chosen to frame a preamble and constitution to be
presented at the next meeting. This committee consisted
of D. Wilkins, Air. Gilmore, W. F. Young, Captain Proc-
tor and E. R. Wilkins. Then the meeting adjourned to
meet at the same place on Thursday evening, November
21, at half-past six o'clock.
Mr. E. Birch, wdio was the principal speaker at this
first meeting, was, according to the record, from Lynn;
but he took up his residence here in Fitchburg and worked
as a shoemaker for Horace Hayward in a shop next to
the old Baptist church building on West Main street, now
owned hy G. M. Parks. It is doubtful if there were any
mill hands present at this meeting, and there were few at
any of the subsequent meetings, as they were held not
Fitckburg Workingmeri *s Association.
247
later than seven o'clock. On Saturday nights, however,
the mills closed earlier and some effort was made to have
the meetings held on that evening, but it failed, except on
a few occasions.
The next meeting, on Thursday of the following week,
was presided over by Capt. Rosea Proctor. Capt. Proc-
tor was the father of Mr. Augustus Proctor, pioneer in
the transportation business from West Fitchburg to the
centre. The first business was the report of the commit-
tee on the constitution, which committee reported, and its
report was adopted. This report consisted of a long pre-
amble with a short constitution, and this preamble was
eminently philosophical and oratorical. It seems to have
been very favorably regarded by the Association, and was
sometimes read at their meetings.
To this constitution there were appended at various
times 131 names, 116 of whom were males and 15 fe-
males. Very few of the men were factory operatives, but
it is probable that most of the females worked in the
mills. The name which heads the list is that of Milton
Whitney, a young law student in the office of Nathaniel
Wood. A few of the other names were as follows: Dan-
iel Wilkins, Rosea Proctor, YV. F. Young, G. P. Bailey,
E, F. Bailey, Abel Eaton, Solomon Pratt, Joseph Lowe,
E. Birch, Alfred Ordway, Philo C. Pettibone (Trinitarian
minister), Charles Shepley (brother of the late Stephen
Shepley), W. S. Wilder, Edward Atkinson, Benjamin Snow,
Joseph Gerry, Aaron Eaton.
At this- second meeting, November 21, a committee
was chosen "to draft resolutions for the association,"
which committee consisted of W. P. Young, D. Wilkins
and E. P. Bailey. Then Mr. Palmer of Lowell, editor of
the " Workingmen's Advocate," who was present, addressed
the meeting at length upon "The humiliating condition of
the poor people of this country and England, under the
oppressive factory system." W. P. Young, for the com-
mittee on resolutions, reported the following resolutions,
which were adopted :
" Resolved, 1st, That the interests of the laboring classes
are intimately connected with the welfare of our country
and mankind at large.
248 Fitchburg Workingmeri s Association*
"Resolved, 2d, That the Laborer is the vital principle
of society, and without him the community would be a
body without a head.
"Resolved, 3d, That the injunction 'In the sweat of
thy face shalt thou eat bread,' is as true and binding now
as when uttered by our Creator.
"Resolved, 4th, That we see in the present strife of
labor against capital, and in the relations which the la-
borer sustains to the capitalist, causes at work which will
inevitably bring the laboring elasses of this country into
the same condition as those of Europe. And resolved fur-
ther, That it shall be the object of this Association to pre-
vent, as far as possible, a crisis so fatal to the best inter-
ests of this country and mankind.
"Resolved, 5th, That while we will maintain our own
rights with unwavering firmness, we will not encroach
upon the rights of the capitalist."
The third meeting of the Association was held on Sat-
urday evening, November 23, in Putnam's tavern, on the
site of the Fitchburg Hotel. At this meeting officers were
chosen. They were, president, Samuel Walton ; first vice-
president, F. A. Kendall; second vice-president, II. Proc-
tor; recording secretary, W. F. Young; treasurer, W.
Fuller; directors, E. Saekett, E. F. Bailey and Milton
Whitney. Air. Palmer of Lowell again addressed the As-
sociation at length. A committee was appointed to bring
in more resolutions, and the meeting then adjourned till
the next Monday evening at 6.30 o'clock, in the Trinita-
rian vestry.
Mr. Palmer remained in Fitchburg over Sunday and
again addressed the meeting on Monday evening, the
record says, "with much reeling." A vote of thanks was
then unanimously tendered him for his labors, and the
meeting adjourned.
The next meeting was held in the Trinitarian vestry,
November 29. It was in this room that most of the meet-
ings of the Association were held. A few were held in the
town hall, and two meetings were held in the brick school
house on the corner of Blossom and Crescent streets.
On December IS a committee was appointed "to procure,
if possible, a place to hold meetings on Saturday evenings,
Fitckbnrg Workingmcn s Association. 240
to accommodate those who are denied the privilege of at-
tending other evenings of the week." At the next meeting,
December 28, the committee reported "that no public
room suitable for such meetings wherein the rights of the
Laborer and the welfare of mankind can be proclaimed,
can be procured in the Town of Fitchburg — with one ex-
ception—being the Academy Mall, which can be procured
for four weeks — one meeting per week — for four dollars,
if pa id in a d va nee . ' '
At the following meeting, January 2, 1845, a commit-
tee was appointed, after some discussion of the financial
concerns of the Association, "to circulate papers among
those who are friendly to the pecuniary prosperity of the
Society."
Lectures and debates comprised the usual exercises of
the meetings, which continued through the winter and
spring of 1845. At the meeting held December 13, 1844-,
the question was discussed at length, but without decis-
ion, " whether the Association should be held accountable
for any sentiment or language introduced by any person
or member speaking before the Association." At the same
meeting the following resolve was introduced by W. C.
Elleck, and laid on the table :
"Resolved, That as the present evil state and organi-
zation of Society tends to abase and destroy the social
and intellectual happiness of woman, we wish it to be
distinctly understood that the doctrine of equality embod-
ied in the principles of this Association extends to her the
privilege of giving in her testimony in the deliberations of
our meetings."
At the thirteenth meeting, which was held January
25, in the Trinitarian vestry, the exercises were opened
with prayer by^ Rev. Mr. Pettibone, after which a lecture
was given by Rev. Mr. Proctor of Sterling. After the lec-
ture a committee was appointed "to take into considera-
tion and report upon the expediency of transmitting to
the Boston association a written account of the rise,
progress, present state and future prospects of this asso-
ciation, agreeable to a resolution passed by that associa-
tion a few weeks since." At the next meeting this propo-
sition was favorably acted upon.
250 FitcJiburg Workingmeii 's Association.
There was considerable agitation among the members
of the question of a separate political organization. On
the evening of February 11, at the Trinitarian vestry,
Wendell Phillips addressed the Association on the subject
of 4k Political organizations — showing their futility." He
was followed, according to the record, by II. Clap]), Jr.,
of Lynn, and James Buffam, but the record does not say
that they took opposite ground to Mr. Phillips, although
it is very probable. At a meeting held two weeks later
the Association decided against political organization for
the present.
During the winter, arrangements were being made
throughout the state for a labor convention, to be held in
Lowell in March. At first rive delegates were chosen by
the Fitchburg association, but at a later meeting it was
voted that the whole Association be a delegation to at-
tend. This vote was afterwards rescinded and two dele-
gates, John Scisson and Sanford Sawyer were chosen, with
instructions to vote for political action, if the question
came before the convention. On March 25 a report of
this convention was made by the delegates to the associ-
ation. The report was accepted, but it was voted to
choose a committee to draft resolutions "protesting against
that portion of the proceedings of the Lowell convention
which suppressed the right of free speech."
On February 20, a committee of five — one from each
religious society in town — was chosen to invite the differ-
ent clergymen to lecture before the association, but it does
not appear that any of them, with the exception of the
Trinitarian minister, Philo C. Pettibone, ever took part in
the meetings. At the meeting, February 27, it was voted
to extend an invitation to A. Crocker, Esq., to lecture,
but there is no record that he responded to the invitation.
On the evening of March 19 an interesting meeting
was held in the town hall. For this occasion the Asso-
ciation had secured the services of an eminent gentleman
from New York, who must have represented the aggressive
element of labor. The record of the proceedings of that
evening is as follows :
"The meeting was called to order by the president.
Mike Walsh, from New York Q\ty, was introduced to the
Fitchbwg Workingmetfs Association. 2;"d
audience, who addressed it at some length on the present
false organization of society in his own interesting and
peculiar style. The Association signified their approbation
by returning the speaker a vote of thanks."
One story told by Mike Walsh at this lecture has come
down to us. A certain capitalist had said to Mike, in
answer to the charge of very low wages paid to working
men, "Well, aint they glad to get it?" "Yes," replied
Mike, "it's just like this. You fall off the wharf into the
water. I look at you struggling there, and conclude I'll
help you out ; so I get a long pole, and seeing a heap of
tar near by I run one end of the pole into it, getting it
pretty well covered with the stuff. Then I hold it out to
you just as you are going down. Aint you glad to get it?"
At the meeting held at the Trinitarian vestry, March
25th, the chairman of the directors, Samuel Walton, pre-
sented four resolutions, the first of which advocated ten
hours for a day's work, and the fourth an eight-hour sys-
tem of labor. This would seem to indicate a rapid prog-
ress of reform, in the direction of less work.
The Association showed its practical side at the April
11th meeting, when W. F. Young "presented the destitute
circumstances of a family in the neighborhood, and urged
their claims to the sympathies of the audience. A collec-
tion was taken up and W. F. Young appointed to convey
the proceeds thereof to the said family."
With the advent of spring the interest in the meetings
of the Association seems to have declined, and its last
meeting was held May 24, 1845, at eight o'clock p. m., in
the Workingman's reading room (located probably in
Proctor's block, corner of Main and Central streets).
The only business transacted was the choice of two dele-
gates to the "Boston Convention." Philo C. Pettibone
and W. F. Young were chosen, and "the meeting ad-
journed sine die."
Notwithstanding this apparent apathy in regard to
meetings, members of the Association undertook at this
time the enterprise of publishing a weekly paper, devoted
to the cause of labor, under the name of the " Voice of
Industry." The first issue was May 29, 1845, and the
subscription price was one dollar per year, payable in ad-
252 Fitchburz Workingmeti 's Association.
^
vance. W. F. Young was editor. For the purpose of pub-
lishing this paper, an association was formed and shares
were placed at five dollars each. But it did not prove to
be a financial success, and the crisis came some months
later when an assessment was levied upon the shares. The
paper was transferred to Lowell, where it continued to be
published for some time.
In all the records of the Fitchburg Workingmen's As-
sociation there is no reference to strikes and no hint of
Labor Unions. It seems to have been a society for the
discussion of principles and the agitation of a cause. It
was actually a debating society upon questions relating
to the cause of labor. It was part of the general soeial
and political movement of soeiety in the United States,
which sustained the condition of our laboring population
far above that of their fellow workers in Europe.
AvSHBURNHAM RESERVOIR FLOOD.
1 paper rend at a meeting of the Society, April IS, 1S9S.
BY SULLIVAN W. HUNTLEY.
On the morning of May 6, 1850, the dam at Rice pond
in Ashburnham broke away, resulting in great damage to
property in the valley below. In giving an account of
this disastrous flood, I quote freely from the history of
Ashburnham by Hon. Ezra S. Stearns. The altitude of
the town of Ashburnham is greater than that of the sur-
rounding country on the east, south or west. The line of
the watershed between the Connecticut and the Merri-
mack valleys extends diagonally through the town. The
line of division is easily traced from Great Watatic over
the low ridges between upper Naukeag and Rice pond to
the old common. Diverging to the north and east, the
line extends near the aneient Winehendon road to near the
John Woods farm, thence southerly and westerly to the
corner of Winehendon.
The northwestern or Connecticut slope is drained into
Miller's river. The southern or Merrimack slope is divided
into four sections and is drained by as many streams
flowing outward. The first section embraces the basin
defined by the Great Watatic, Little Watatie, and Blood
hill. Here the overflow from Stoger meadow, with the
waters from Ward's and Watatie ponds give rise to a
branch of the Souhegan river.
The second drainage is of small area laying between
the Blood and Russell hills, embracing a portion of Dutch
and Cambridge farms, assuming the name of Willard's
brook and is a tributar}' to the Squannacook river in
Townsend. The third drainage is bounded on the north
and east by the Connecticut slope and the first and second
sections of the Merrimack slope. The western boundary
is the height of land from Meeting-house hill to the line of
Westminster. The water collected at Rice or Reservoir
254
Ashburnham Reservoir Flood.
pond is drained by Phillips brook, flowing through the
centre of the village and onward through the northern part
of Westminster into Fitchburg.
The fourth drainage is collected in the stream rising in
the Nashua reservoir, Rowing through the village of South
Ashburnham, thence through Westminster to the line of
Fitchburg, uniting with Phillips brook at West Fitchburg.
Dashing on in a first embrace through the rocky valley
of Fitchburg, it pursues its way through Leominster
and Lancaster to a point between Groton and Shirley,
where it receives the Squannaeook, bearing the waters of
the second drainage. Together the triune river, engulfed
jn stronger currents, falls into the Merrimack river at
Nashua. Perhaps, somewhere in the river-bed,, they recog-
nize and mingle with the clear waters from Watatic pond,
which in its onward course to the ocean has wandered
through the valley of the Souhegan.
There are eight natural ponds in Ashburnham. Four
are tributary to the Connecticut and four to the Merri-
mack river. Rice pond, formerly called Weneeheag pond,
is the most important body of water in the Merrimack
drainage. The dam at the outlet is about twelve hundred
Irct nbovc lick' water and had been mruniained iiiauv
ye.irs. 1 lie wnU'i.-i willim lliih Im.miIiIuI lake had held
themselves subject to the wants of man, responding cheer-
fully from time to time to the demands of the water-wheel,
the spindle and busy loom, — a willing servant contributing
to the happiness and enhancing the wealth and comfort
of those dependent along the river course to the sea. Not
content with this service, and to increase the storage ca-
pacity of the reservoir, early in the spring two feet of clay
soil had been placed on top of the dam without sufficient
support of stone and spiling; thus the greed and cupidity
of man contributed largely to the calamity that followed.
Sunday, immediately preceding the flood, was a rainy
day ; and during that night there was such a precipitancy
that Monday morning found the reservoir full, — two feet
higher than ever before. To add to the immense force and
pressure of the water the wind was blowing a gale from
the northwest, across the surface of the pond, breaking
against and gradually wearing away the crown of the
Ashburnham Reservoir Flood. 25 .r>
dam. Soon a small stream flowed over the top, widening
and deepening with every wave. At this time the break
was discovered, and men hurried with shovels to stop the
leak. It was too late. At last the servant became the
master, cruel and relentless. The dam yielded and the
maddened waters went pouring through seeking deep-sea
level, fifty miles away at the mouth of the Merrimack.
The mighty volume of water swept away every dam and
every bridge spanning the river between the reservoir and
Fitehburg. In the town of Ashburnham alone twelve
dams, two chair and cabinet shops, a greater portion of
an extensive tanner}', a cotton factory, saw mills, morocco
tannery, two blacksmith shops, three barns, dry houses
and storehouses were destroyed, and almost every building
on the stream injured. The waters rushed along with ter-
rible force, and with a noise heard distinctly, as that of
distant thunder, four or five miles away ; and followed so
closely the break of the dam that there was no opportu-
nity to remove or save property, and many people at
work escaped as by a miracle. The Naukeag cotton mill
was the first to receive the force of the torrent. For a
moment it seemed as though the mill with its living occu-
pants was doomed ; the dam giving way and the swift
current cutting a channel on the other side, left the mill
isolated and alone as upon an island. The help were
taken out of their peril by boats. Not so fortunate the
other mills. The current increasing in volume and force,
carried away in the following order : Abel Taylor's black-
smith shop, Merrick's machine shop, and with that Wil-
liam Rice's; Fletcher & Newhall's tannery, that of Cald-
well & Ellis; Day's saw and grist mill, Wheeler's shop,
and Horace Black's and J. P. Wilder's shop, a portion of
C. & G. C. Winchester's shop, Charles Stoddard's wheel-
wright shop, and damaging the Blackburn mill. The old
Dustan saw mill was swept away, and sad havoc made
of the morocco shop of L. B. and Andrew J. Adams. The
farms of Amos Whitney, Samuel Brooks and David Whit-
ney were flooded, and their various storehouses and other
small buildings swept away. These industries were all in
active operation, and most of them in less than two hours
were ruined. Chair material, hides, and various other
256 Ashbumham Reservoir Flood.
articles were tossed up like feathers and scattered all along
the valley. Says an eye-witness, "as the roar of the wa-
ters was heard, the bells began to ring, the wind blew
strong, and the shouts of the many persons hurrying to
the scene of disaster added to the excitement." The houses
that were destroyed seemed to tremble as the flood reached
them, then opened with a cloud of dust and fell like paper
houses. The flood left in its track huge boulders, uprooted
trees, and piles of sand, with an aspect of desolation
through all the valley. "One of the humorous incidents
of the day," says a letter to the Gardner News, " was the
sight of a cask tossing up and down on the water and in
it a setting hen. All expected to see her washed out or
something occur to drive her from her place, but a setting-
hen has a decision of character and determination of pur-
pose not excelled by any creature. She looked fiercely out,
but seemed to say 'I intend going on with my business
whatever comes.' She passed along, and next day it was
found the cask had lodged in a safe place and she had
hatched her downy brood." This letter was written some
thirty years after the flood, and we might possibly consider
it a tradition; but another authority says "the hen that
was setting in a barrel started in the village from above
the bridge, and was carried about a mile below and thrown
upon the bank in Nat. Pierce's woods, opposite the farm
of Charles Barrett." Neither authority informs us whether
the "downy brood" as they tapped their way into the
sunlight of that May morning were web-footed or other-
wise, or whether her ladyship was a high-bred or a com-
mon dung-hill. It is safe to say she was much "in the
swim" and will never be forgotten in Ashburnham.
Another laughable incident occurred as the flood reached
the factory village. A young man who was living on the
banks of the river, taking his wife of a few days in one
hand and his fiddle in the other, fled to the hills. History
informs us that Nero fiddled while Rome burned, also we
learn from Quo Yadis that the tyrant Nero made merry
while the eternal city was in flames. Tradition is silent
regarding the conduct of this young man as he overlooked
the village from his safe retreat. An incident occurred in
our own city, when a building being on fire, an elderly
Ashburnham Reservoir Flood. 257
gentleman, making sure of his trunk of bonds and stocks,
hastily left the building, leaving his poor old wife to find
a safe exit for herself. In comparison, we think the young
man's conduct natural and commendable.
1 have made much of these humorous incidents as they
seem to have been the silver lining to the dark cloud that
overhung the town of Ashbnmham on the eventful day.
The mill owners were mostly young men who had acquired
small properties and had lost all. Many men were thrown
out of emplo3mient. A general feeling of discouragement
at first prevailed. A meeting of the citizens was held and
a committee was chosen to solicit relief. The Rev. Elna-
than Davis, afterwards pastor of the Trinitarian church
of this city was the chairman, and Charles Stearns secre-
tary. Generous sums were received from the towns around,
and the names of the donors are safely preserved in the
archives of the town; and the people of Ashburnham are
not likely to forget those who helped them to build again
waste places.
It is to be remembered that this calamity occurred
before the era of the telephone, and that Mr. Roekwood
could not step into the pay station and call up the Beoli
Mill, or, connecting with the central station, flash the tid-
ings along the river to the Merrimack. Says an authority
from whom 1 have quoted, "As soon as the alarm was
heard the dam has burst, and before the flood reached the
village, Mr. George Roekwood, a merchant here, started
with a fleet horse for Fitchburg, sounding the alarm as
he rode. At West Fitchburg he shouted, "The old reser-
voir dam' has gone — the waters are coming!"
According to this authority, the people of West Fitch-
burg thought that Mr. Roekwood was an alarmist, par
excellence, and were not disposed to take much stock in
his story — some telling him, "There was not water enough
in Ashburnham to harm us;" others said, "Don't think
there will be much of a shower." There is a tradition in
Ashburnham that as a precautionary measure the owners
of the woolen factory occupied by If. C. Friar & Co. at
Roekville sent out men to remove the flash-boards. This
mill was owned by Col. I vers Phillips, and was the first
one to receive the shock from the coming waters. Savs
258 Ashburnham Reservoir Flood.
an eve witness, "The wave was from six to eight feet
high, the erest eovered with a wreckage from Ashburn-
ham, to which had been added the machinery and wreck-
age from the saw and grist mill of Mr. George Wood, in
Westminster. This mill was entirely swept away and the
workmen in the mill had hardly time to escape. The wa-
ters soon cut a passage through on the south side of the
Phillips mill, leaving the dam intact. It was an agent
from a mill town down East that wired the Boston own-
ers after a disastrous flood, that "there was a dam by
the mill site, but no mill by a dam sight." This epigram
might have properly applied to this mill after the tidal
wave from the reservoir and the accumulated waters from
twelve broken dams reached it. It is impossible, at this
late day, to speculate upon what would have been the
condition of the dam had they succeeded in removing the
flash-boards. As it was, the mill was a wreck, the ma-
chinery an entire loss, and a large lot of wool and cloth
carried clown the stream. It is quite evident that the peo-
ple of Rockville were either not generally notified of their
danger or were incredulous as to the amount of damage
they might be subjected to, for it is said of Capt. Alfred
White (whose shop w.'is the next in line) thai he was
l»ii:i\ lit woilv when III* wnli'i Imj'iiii In |niiir in lit ill*
gable end, and that he was obliged to make quick time
to save his life. This shop was built of stone; the flood
carried out the lower end of the shop, washing out the
breast- wheel, carrying it from seventy-five to a hundred
feet from where it originally stood to the Whitney & Bo-
gart pond below, the west end of this dam giving way.
The flood passed round both sides of the Whitney 6c
Bogart paper mill. The damage was very slight and the
dam was not carried off. There was a dwelling house on
the north side of the bridge spanning the stream. This
house with its contents was lifted up, carried over the
road and swept down the causeway below. On the east
side of the bridge was a store. A Mr. Carter and another
gentleman, who entered the store to remove the books,
narrowly escaped by climbing an apple tree as the build-
ing was swept away. They were momentarily in danger
of sharing the fate of the store as the driftwood and water
AshbuniJuiDi Reservoir Flood. 259
surged around them. They were finally rescued from their
position by means of ropes and ladders. On the west side
of the river below the bridge, was a small cotton mill
called the Baldwin mill. This mill was undermined and
swept into the stream. The factory hands escaped with
much difficulty, — the old bell in the mill tolling as it went
over with the tower into the maddened waters below.
The dam was destroyed. Below the Baldwin mill was the
trip-hammer shop of Page and Miles, the water taking out
the west end of the dam with slight damage to the shop.
Below the shop of Page & Miles was a small shop
occupied by Laban Bullock as a wood turning establish-
ment. The canal supplying the water was damaged,
though the shop escaped. From the Friar mill to the dam
of the Simonds scythe shop was a fall of one hundred and
eight feet, with six privileges; and the volume of water
was so great as it passed over the dams that it had the
appearance of one immense cascade, carrying with it great
quantities of wreckage, — and there was piled up, on the
south end of the Simonds' dam, chair stock from the
mills of the Winchesters in Ashburnham, hides from the
tanneries, machinery from the Friar and Baldwin mills,
and cords upon cords of all kinds of debris. And in this
short distance was the principal loss to our town from
the freshet of 1850. Col. lvers Phillips furnished the fol-
lowing letter to the Sentinel under date of May 17, 1850:
''Mr. Editor: Below I give you a correct statement of the amount
of my loss by the late freshet as near as I can estimate it. My object
in doing so is to correct misunderstandings that have gone abroad. In
the first place 1 am one of the proprietors of the Xaukeag mills and I
estimate that my portion of the loss there is $125.1)0
Farm covered by gravel, lost fruit trees m Kockville, 500.00
Woolen mill, dye house, dam and land washed away, 5,000.00
One new house with land that it stood upon, 1,000.00
Cotton mill, dam, wheel, machinery, tools, etc., 0,000.00
One store building, 500.00
Personal property in store, 1,000.00
Stock and supplies in mill, 1,5(.?0.00
Loss of books and papers, 500.00
Total, $16,125.00
This is an estimate of the loss of property actually washed away
and destroyed. There is a large amount of property remaining which
260 AshburnJuini Reservoir Flood.
is rendered worthless by the loss of the mills, and will remain so until
the mills are rebuilt, which may be soon, or may never be. Under the
most favorable circumstances the loss of rents and use until they could
be rebuilt would be two thousand dollars. If they should not be re-
built for some years, the depreciation of property must swell my loss
to a sum much larger than twenty thousand dollars, but taking all
chances into consideration I estimate my loss at that sum and think it
about as likely to be more as less.
Yours truly,
Iveks Phillips."
As an indication of the volume of water passing over
the dams, it was stated by Mr. William Kimball that by
his measurement there were eleven feet of water above
the roll-wa}r at the Lyon dam. The waters passed over
with slight damage to the paper mill of Jesse Lyon &
Sons, and the scythe shop of A. Kimball & Sons. At the
saw mill built by Captain Levi Pratt, and owned by Me-
Intire & Works, the water went round both sides of the
mill, with slight damage to the mill, and the clam resisted
the pressure from the flood. This privilege is now the
property of Mr. F. F. Woodward. The dam and canal of
Messrs. Sheldon & Carter was damaged to a considerable
amount, aii-d ;i large quantity of lumber belonging to the
1 1 1 in and Lo Francis Sheldon was swepl down Lhe stream.
The old Rm\ Mill, operated by Levi Sherwin, was the next
in course, and escaped with slight damage. One pier of
the bridge between West Main and River streets gave
way; the waters below this point had plenty of room.
Circle street at that time was unknown. The Davis chair
shop had not been built, and the whole space bounded on
the east by Rollstone street, on the north by the river,
west b}r River street and south by the Vermont & Massa-
chusetts tracks, was devoid of houses or buildings of any
kind, excepting the brick dwelling house owned by Frank-
lin Phillips, situated immediately across the bridge be-
tween West Main and River streets, and the carpenter
shop of Prichard & Hartwell on Rollstone street. This
whole space included within the above boundary was one
unbroken sea of water, rising so high that it covered
River street. At one time it was thought that the woolen
mill itself (then in charge of William II. Yose) would sue-
Ashburnham Reservoir Flood. 261
cumb to the rising flood, but fortunately, the road giving
way on either side of the dam, made an outlet for the
waters. A portion of the dam also gave way. The dam-
age to this property, besides the dam, consisted in the
washing away of a long dry house situated below the
dam. It was lifted from its foundation, broken in two
and nearly ruined. A number of cords of wood, carried
off by the waters, found a temporary resting place with
the neighbors below. The wood was recovered later by
legal process. In an interview with Mr. John Keough he
informed me that the first intimation the mill hands had
of the coming flood was through the Hon. Hbenezer Tor-
rey, who came into the mill, walked the length of the
spinning room, and taking Mr. Vose by the arm made
known to him the impending danger. It was soon excite-
ment throughout the mill. Mr. Keough hurried down to
inform a Mr. Duffy, a mill hand, of the danger. Mr. Duffy
at the time was pasturing his cow on the lot between the
mill and river. He succeeded in driving his cow safely
across the Rollstone street bridge and had barely time to
return before a portion of the bridge gave way.
Mr. Keough was not so fortunate. In removing the
cloth from the dry house he got caught in the swift cur-
rent which was taking him down stream. Fortunately,
he was a good swimmer and made for a large tree stand-
ing on the river bank. He reached the tree and climbed
into a safe position. He was an unwilling captive for
about two hours, when a rope was got to him and made
fast to the. tree. The other end of the rope ran through
the handle of a basket, and a sailor who was stopping
here at the time pulled himself to his rescue. Mr. Keough,
cold and benumbed from his exposure, got into the basket
and pulled for libert\r and the shore. The sailor followed,
hand over hand, on the rope. Mr. Keough is still with
us alive and hearty. *
The shops of Messrs. Prichard <K: Hartwell, on the
opposite side of the river on Rollstone street, were dam-
aged to the amount of two hundred dollars. The dam-
age to the Newton factory was slight. The road-bed of
*Mr. John Keough died June 20. 190'J.
is
262 Aslibiiruliam Reservoir Flood,
the Vermont & Massachusetts railroad at this point was
badly washed. The waters as they swung around under
the railroad bridge into the Stone Mill pond found plenty
of room. The "back-bay" improvements of a later day
had not then been thought of. Putnam street, with its
grade crossing problem, was not vexing the fathers of the
town. The Putnam Machine Company was furnishing
machine tools to the world from their shop on Water
street, and there was nothing to impede the onward flow
of waters.
On or near the present site of the saw mill of J. Gush-
ing & Company, on Laurel (now Gushing) street, stood
the tannery of Caldwell & Sprague. As the waters came
from under the railroad bridge they overflowed the banks
of the river, raised the buildings from their foundation,
ground them to pieces and dumped them into the current
above the stone bridge. Messrs. Caldwell & Sprague
afterwards rebuilt their tannery on the flat below South
street. Damage to the stone mill proper was not serious.
Below this point was the pond that furnished power for
the old Burbank paper mill, and hard by was the foundry
of Asher Green. From the breaking of the reservoir in
Ashburnham to this point, amid the washing away of
bridges, the destruction of dams and dwelling houses, the
wreck of mills, with barely time for the help to escape —
in all this mad rush of waters there had not been the
loss of a single human life.
As the flood reached the foundry there were two men
in a boat securing flood wood, Mr. Samuel Roberts and
Thomas Brooks. The waters caught the boat, and as it
was rapidly approaching the falls and beyond their con-
trol, they jumped from the boat, evidently thinking they
could save themselves by swimming. The current was
too strong, and they were swept over the dam. Mr.
Roberts was never seen again. Young Brooks came to
the surface, the current bore him rapidly down the stream,
and as he approached the railroad bridge he made mo-
tions to Mr. David Ware, who had followed rapidl\r down
the banks, as though he intended to swim out of the cur-
rent into the wide pond below. At this time a floating
plank was seen to strike him in the head, forcing him
Ashburnham Reservoir Flood. 26^
under. He was never seen again. Mr. Roberts' body
was found, lodged on the dam of the Duek Mill, Monday,
May 27, a fortnight after he lost his life. The body of
young Brooks has never been recovered. He was the son
of Abner and Mary R. Brooks, one of a family of eleven
children.*
At the woolen mill controlled by the Hon. Joseph W.
Mansur, later known as the Fitchburg Worsted Company,
the damage was comparatively slight. The damage at
the Fitchburg Duck mill was estimated at a thousand
dollars.
The Sentinel in its issue of May 10, 1850, four days
after the freshet, placed the loss in Ashburnham and Fitch-
burg at two hundred thousand dollars after having, as
the editor says, "traversed the whole line of devastation."
We are inclined to think the estimate high, though he says
" men of good judgment place the loss to Ashburnham alone
at one hundred thousand dollars."
The committee appointed by the town of Ashburnham
to ascertain the amount of direct damages, reported on
•Through the courtesy of the wife of Major Theodore S. Poster, a
sister of young Brooks, I am permitted to present the following tran.
script from a diary left by her father:
"James Brooks was killed in Townsend by the upsetting of a cart
September 27, 1832, he being eight years, five months and eight days
old. lie was a fine boy, of much promise, a great scholar, one in whom
I had much anticipation. Thomas was drowned May <>, 1850. He was
swept off and another man with him, at the memorable Ashburnham
freshet. He was sixteen years, eight months and eleven days old. He
was an apprentice to Mr. Asher Green. He was a natural poet and a
natural sculptor. He was a good boy, in whom 1 had many fond
hopes. Melvin was killed October 27, 1852, aged thirteen 3rears, eight
months and six days. He went to the school taught by Mr. Charles
Lamb; after school he with several of his schoolmates went to a shoot-
ing match not far distant. He darted in front of a rifle to capture a
wounded chicken, and was instantly killed, the ball passing through the
back of his head. Sorrow seems to be my nearest companion, for I was
called to mourn the loss of auother child by violence. Maria Louisa,
my oldest daughter, and her husband, were on their way cast from Lan-
caster, Pennsylvania, and when on the New York and New Haven rail-
road was run oft the drawbridge at Norwalk, Connecticut, and in-
stantly killed, with about fifty others, through the carelessness of a
drunken engineer by the name of Tucker. This horrible accident hap-
pened on the 6th day of May, 1S53, just three years from the time
Thomas was drowned. A remarkable fatalitv for one family."
2()4 Ashburnharii Reservoir Flood.
June 10th, after a eareful canvass, in an itemized state-
ment, the sum of $31,645 as the total loss. That would
leave nearly seventy thousand dollars to cover the loss to
bridges and highways, — a very liberal sum.
In the town of Fitchburg the greater portion of the
loss was felt in Rockville.
Col. Phillips placed his loss at $20,000
H. S. Friar (estimated) 16,000
Capt. Alfred White (estimated) 4,000
Whitney & Bogart 800
Jesse Lyon & Sons 000
A. Kimball & Sons GOO
Messrs. Sheldon & Carter 500
Fitchburg Woolen Mill 1,000
Newton Mill 200
Stone Mill 1,000
Burbank Mill 1,000
J. W. Mansur Mill 1,000
South Fitchburg Duck Mill 1,000
Town of Fitchburg, on account of roads and bridges, 6,000
A. G. Page 1,000
$54-,700
In 1845, live years before this disastrous flow of wa-
ters, the Fitchburg railroad was opened up to business,
;md Mr. Crocker had established not only the fact that
there wart such a place as Filclihurg, bttl thai it wum ilca-
tined to become an important factor in the commercial
and business world. Three years later the Vermont &
Massachusetts road was practically finished, with the tun-
nel to be completed in due time. Another factor entering
into the development and growth of our cit/y was the
building of the Fitchburg & Worcester road by Col. Ivers
Phillips and his associates. This connection through
Worcester brought our merchants and manufacturers in
close business relations with the south and west, and
placed us on a parity with other manufacturing places in
New England. These railroad facilities stimulated to rapid
growth the industries already here, and made openings
for others; and although not dependent upon the small
power furnished by the Phillips brook, most of the more
recent industries have for convenience settled along the
banks of this small stream, that on Monday morning,
May 6th, 1850, became so turbulent.
Ashburnham Reservoir Flood.
2<;5
"Peace hath its victories as well as war," and there
have been "captains courageous" in the peaceful accumu-
lation of wealth incidental to the building of large man-
ufacturing plants in our city. We build monuments to our
military heroes. Why not to the heroes of more peaceful
times?
In closing this account of an incident in the history
of this town, an incident fraught with much discourage-
ment to the men of that period, I will suggest a monu-
ment. I would take as the base, good, clean-cut granite
from old Rollstone. I would invoke the genius of Mr.
Herbert Adams to arrange in detail the engine of the rail-
road, the loom of the mill, the lathe of the machinist, the
machinery of the paper mill, with emblems of other and
varied interests, which, when wrought into a grand
whole would rest fittingly upon the base of granite; and
surmounting them all, I would place in enduring bronze
the statues of three men. I would place the monument in
Railroad Park, and name as my heroes the Honorable Al-
vah Crocker, the Honorable Rodney Wallace, and Colonel
Ivers Phillips. "They builded better than they knew,"
and subsequent generations will reap a grand harvest
from their pluck and endurance.
EARLY HKSTORY OF THE CITY HALL.
Read at a meeting of the Society, Ajiril IS, 1904.
HY EBENEZER BAILEY.
The first gathering of the eitizens of Fitchburg for the
election of town officers and the discussion of municipal
affairs was held in the tavern of Samuel Hunt, and in
the same place the first preaching service was also held.
The vote for the erection of a church building on land
given by Capt. Thomas Cowdin was as much to provide
a suitable place for town meetings, as for religious services.
There was then no need of offices for town clerk, town
treasurer, selectmen, etc. The church was the town hall
and there was not the slightest incongruity or objection
to the use of the same assembly room for both religious
and secular affairs. When, in 1796, a new church building-
was erected on the common, its use was for the same pur-
poses, but after division and separation of the first church
and parish, and the building of the present Unitarian
church, this building was moved to the corner of Main
and Circle streets, and was used only for town meetings
and other public purposes till it was superseded by a new
town house.
In the year 1850 Fitchburg was a town of over five
thousand inhabitants. In ten years it had doubled in pop-
ulation and nearly trebled in valuation. It had a rail-
road, its manufactures were increasing; it was growing
and prospering. Its town hall, which was once considered
ample, had become small and inconvenient and insufficient
to accommodate hardly one-half the voters. Moreover
what beauty it ever possessed had departed. The people
felt that a new building more in keeping with the size and
prosperity of the town was needed. As to the question of
location, some of the old feeling which convulsed the town,
more than fifty years before made its appearance, but seri-
Early History of the City Hall. 267
ous trouble was prevented by the wise action of the citi-
zens, represented by an able and judicious committee.
So it came about that an article was inserted in a
warrant for a town meeting to be held on January f>,
1852, which read as follows:
"To see if the Town will take any measures for the erection of a
Town House for the use of the Town of Fitchbtirg."
Great interest was manifested in this meeting and the
town hall was filled to overflowing. When the article was
brought up for consideration a motion was made "To
build a new Town House or repair the old one." The
voters preferred to divide the question and the first part of
the motion was carried — "to build a new town house," —
by a vote of 139 to 118. Then the town voted to choose
a committee of seven "to take into consideration the
whole subject-matter, both as to plans and location, and
to report to the town at an adjournment of the meeting,
three weeks from this day." The following were chosen
as that committee: Nathaniel Wood, Chedorlaomer Mar-
shall, Alvah Crocker, Moses M. Gage, Edwin Upton, James
P. Putnam, and John Prichard.
At the adjourned meeting held on the 26th of the same
month the committee made the following report:
"The committee chosen on the fifth day of January, 1852, 'to take
into consideration the whole subject-matter of building a new town
house, both as to plans and location, and to report at an adjournment
of the same meeting, three weeks from that day,' have attended to the
business assigned them, and make the following report:
"First, as to the plan of the new town house. The committee rec-
ommend that said house be one hundred feet long and sixty-five feet in
width, two stories high, built of brick above a stone basement; the
brick walls to be forty-three feet in height; the two stories to lie of the
respective height in the clear, as follows: The first story above the base-
ment seventeen feet, and the second story, calculated for the town hall,
twenty-four feet in height. Taking off about twenty feet from the front
for entrance, stairs, etc., will leave in the clear a town hall seventy-nine
feet long by sixty-two feet wide, which, with a gallery over the entrance,
it is expected will hold comfortably about fifteen hundred persons.
Plans and drawings of said building are herewith submitted.
"Second, as to the location of said town house. The committee
have examined several spots and have ascertained as near as they can
the probable cost thereof.
'
208 Early History of the City Hall.
''1st. The enlargement of the spot where the present town house
stands, so as to make it of sufficient capacity to receive a building of
the size above contemplated can be procured at the probable cost of fit-
teen hundred dollars.
"2d. A spot just southerly of Central Block, where now stands the
house occupied by Dr. Blood, can be procured at the probable expense of
four thousand dollars.
" Hd. The southerly portion of the lot recently owned by Rev. Cal-
vin Lincoln, of sufficient size, can be procured for the sum of twenty-
three hundred dollars.
"4-th. The lot directly opposite the last-named, between the Trinita-
rian church and the house of Dr. Palmer, may be obtained for twenty-
one hundred and twenty-five dollars.
"Several other lots have been examined and their prices ascertained,
but, as the committee entertain a belief that they would not be accept-
able to a majority of the town, they are not here reported in detail.
"The committee are fully aware of the great importance of so loca-
ting a large, commodious, expensive and permanent town house that it
will meet the approbation of most of our fellow citizens, and being fur-
ther aware that our population is rapidly increasing, and that it is im-
possible to foretell where will be the center of business and population
ten or twenty years hence, they have found it very embarrassing to
come to a conclusion satisfactory to themselves where said new town
house had better be placed. The expense of the spot ought to be but a
small item entering into the consideration of a location which will meet
the approbation of the present generation, and will receive the approval
of succeeding ones as a fortunate selection, made with a wise and pru-
dent forecast and a successful anticipation of future wants.
"Having these considerations in view, a majority of the committee
recommend that the new town house be placed upon the lot secondly
above named, which is just southerly of Central Block, on which now
stands the house occupied by Dr. Blood. Per order
Nathaniel Wood, Chairman."
The report was accepted and the recommendation
adopted, placing the new town house where it now stands,
but it was a close vote, standing 147 to 142. The fol-
lowing persons were chosen a building committee : Nathan-
iel Wood, James P. Putnam, Ivers Phillips, Chedorlaomer
Marshall, William Carleton, Abial J. Town, Edwin Upton.
Justin Stearns was later chosen to fill the vacancy
caused by the resignation of Ivers Phillips from this com-
mittee, and for some reason, in the following November,
when the town house was nearly finished, the resignation
of Nathaniel Wood from the committee was brought be-
fore a town meeting for acceptance, but the voters pro-
ceeded to choose him to fill his own vacancy.
Early History of (lie City Hall. 269
At the annual town meeting in March, 1852, an effort
was made to change the location of the building, but it
failed. The Fitchburg Sentinel, in its issue of March 12,
1852, has the following editorial on the new town house:
"It is now a settled thing that we are to have a Town House. The
last lingering impediment to its immediate eonstruetion, in the shape of
the artiele in the last town warrant, has now been removed, and all
that remains is to wait with patient expectation the erection of the
building. We are glad the matter is settled, and are still more pleased
that it has been arranged so satisfactorily. Not a word of complaint
or disaffection has reached our ears since the question has been finally
decided; but, on the contrary, there has been an unusual expression of
satisfaction. 'Bast' and 'West' have met upon the selected spot and
shaken hands like brothers. We have no doubt they are both prepar-
ing to bury the tomahawk there, and to smoke a solemn calumet of
peace the very first time the doors of our new Areopagus are publicly
thrown open. The general feeling is that old grievances, feuds and com-
plaints should be lumped with ancient town rubbish of all sorts, and
should all be thrown away together, and a new order of things entered
on. The dingy old town house, with its grim, black walls, festooned
with cobwebs — its nondescript floors inlaid with quids and veneered with
tobacco juice — its uncomfortable benches, upon which a man was rather
caught than seated— this dingy old receptacle was well adapted to the
hatching and brooding over of strifes and dissensions."
It was estimated that the proposed building, built
according to the plans submitted, would not cost over
fourteen thousand dollars and the furnishings two thou-
sand dollars, which, with the four thousand dollars for the
land, would make the whole cost twenty thousand dol-
lars, and this was the sum put at the disposal of the
building committee. When the bids, however, came in for
the erection of the building, they all exceeded fourteen
thousand dollars, and the committee were in despair, for
they had instructions not to spend a dollar over the
twenty thousand dollars appropriated for all purposes.
The Hon. Nathaniel Wood was chairman of the commit-
tee. Col. I vers Phillips, who was also on the committee,
relates in his reminiscences, that at one meeting, after they
had been striving in vain to find a way out, Mr. Wood
threw the plans down on the table, saving, " We can't
have a town hall. We can't get it built for that money.
We won't have a town hall." Coi. Phillips said "1 will
resign my place on this committee and I will build the
town house for the fourteen thousand dollars."
270 Early History of the City Hall.
The offer was accepted and the town house was built.
The town reports show that Col. Phillips was paid four-
teen thousand six hundred and thirty dollars, but this
included work on the lower rooms in addition to the con-
tract. The sum of five hundred and sixty-five dollars was
paid Merriam & Holden of Westminster, for settees. 1 sup-
pose they are the same now used in the hall, though un-
fortunately, they are not mellowed with age.
The dwelling house standing on the lot was bought
by Benjamin Snow and moved back in Cottage square
where it now stands in the rear of Central block. Ward
B. Farrar, a Fitchburg carpenter and contractor, had
charge of the erection of the building. Dea. S. A. Wheeler
did the stone work. William H. Goodwin, our veteran
contractor and builder and ex-superintendent of buildings,
worked under Mr. Farrar. He helped hew the big sticks
of timber for the trusses as they lay by the side of the
street in front of the building. The first pressed brick
ever used in Fitchburg were put into the walls of the new
town house. There were originally some terra cotta orna-
ments in front, which were given by a Worcester firm.,
On the ninth day of September, 1852, the Democratic
State convention, which nominated Henry W. Bishop of
Lenox, for governor, met in the new town hall. It wns
not yet finished, being still unplastercd, and the staging
had to be taken down for the occasion, to be again re-
placed. Our Mr. F. C. Currier was a delegate to the con-
vention from Holliston. The citizens of Fitchburg much
enjoyed the importance of the occasion, when the "streets
were unusually full of bustle and excitement." The Fitch-
burg Sentinel took occasion to "blow a trumpet" in its
leading editorial, under date of September 10. We quote
a portion of the same:
"It is but a few years since when a project of a railroad from Fitch-
burg to Boston was first started, that appeals for subscriptions and
assistance were met by those to whom they were made by the contempt-
uous inquiry of 'Where in the world is Fitchburg?' It is, therefore,
somewhat significant of its increased notoriety, at least, that the Demo-
cratic party of Massachusetts have not been afraid of bewildering their
delegates by appointing the place of rendezvous at Fitchburg, or enter-
tained any fears of their losing themselves by the way." * * * * «
" The city of Worcester had not one-half the guaranty of great future
Early History of the City 11 all. 271
growth in natural resources— which she is destitute of, with the excep-
tion of her centrality of location— that is now possessed by Fitchburg,
and we know of no reason why we should not, at no distant day, rival
her in her wealth, business and prosperity."
The Lowell Daily Advertiser published an article on
"Fitchburg and its Hospitality," relative to this conven-
tion, from which we quote as follows :
"The new Town Hall, not entirely finished, is one of the largest and
most elegant in its architectural arrangement in the State, and will be
a lasting monument to the liberality of the place."
By the opening of the new year the Town House was
finished. In its issue of January 7, 1853, the Fitchburg
Sentinel said :
"Our new Town Hall is at length finished and is to be opened on
Frida}- evening by a levee of the Agricultural and industrial Associa-
tion. There can be no worthier way of dedicating the hall than by
celebrating its opening by a festival of the agricultural and industrial
classes, and we have no doubt that they will coincide in the opinion.
We may justly regard the opening of the new hall as marking an era in
our town histor}'. The industry and thrift of our citizens have gradu-
ally developed the resources of the town, increased its wealth and ex-
tended its business, until within a few years they have resulted in mul-
tiplied and improved highways and substantial and handsome bridges,
and one of the finest halls in the Commonwealth. The building in every
respect confers high credit, both upon the liberality of the citizens of the
place, the judgment of the committee, and the skill of Col. Phillips, its
contractor."
On Friday evening, January 7, 1853, the Agricultural
levee and dedication of the new hall was held, and the
building was filled to its utmost capacity. Rev. Calvin
Lincoln gave an account of the early history of the place
and his first experience as a clergyman, and there were
other speeches, and singing by the Fitchburg Musical As-
sociation. Among the sentiments read were the following :
" The Building Committee. Their task was an arduous one, and it
has been well and faithfully accomplished; but in estimating the amount
of credit that is due them, it must always be considered that they had
been provided with such excellent Wood to get up steam with."
" The Manufacturers of Fitchburg. Its mainstay and support. May
they ever continue to prosper and increase. It is expected that this
toast will be responded to in an appropriate and elegant manner by a
Man-sur."
" By J. T. Everett, Esq., of Princeton. May the time soon arrive
when a just legislation of the old Bay State shall grant us the privilege
272 Early History of the City Hall.
of changing the name of this Society from the Fitchburg Agricultural
Association to that of the Agricultural Association of Fitchburg
County."
An original poem was read, entitled "The Old Town
Hall to The New/' There were twelve stanzas. I give
the first and the two concluding ones:
"The die is cast! my glory has departed;
My days, like the old years, have all passed by.
Poor and forsaken, old and broken-hearted,
Here I am left alone to die.
"Sure be thy place of rest, my fair young brother;
And far the time when thou shalt kneel in dust,
To give thy name and glory to another,
Surrendering up, as I do now, thy trust.
" But when is past thy day of strength and beauty,
Ma}- a bright death-smile light thy crumbling wall,
At the remembrance of a life of duty —
This is the farewell of the
Old Town Hall."
On Tuesday evening, January" 25; Richard II. Dana,
Jr., lectured in the town hall, on lulimmd Burke. Oliver
Wendell Holmes lectured in February, and Rev. Samuel
Osgood of New York, in March. These lectures were under
the auspices of the Fitchburg Athenaeum, then just organ-
ized. On Thursday, February 10, the ladies of the First
Parish held a fair and social tea party at the new town
hall.
On Monday, the seventh day of March, 1853, the first
town meeting was held in the new town hall, and Edwin
Upton, Cyrus Thurston, Abel Simonds, James P. Putnam
and Abel Stevens were chosen selectmen. The Fitchburg
Cornet Band held a social levee in the hall on Monday,
March 23, and on Tuesday, October 11, a large and en-
thusiastic convention was held in the town hall, to fur-
ther the interests of the Hoosac Tunnel; and many prom-
inent people from abroad were present — among them Maj.-
Gen. Wool and suite.
In 1853 the Fitchburg Bank, which owned and oc-
cupied a small stone building, standing on the corner
of Main street and Far well place, built a new building
of brick on the same spot. While the work was going
Early History of the City Hall,
21%
on the bank occupied a room in the new town house. It
was the room which was later occupied ])y the selectmen,
now the room next to that of the city auditor. Most of
the bank's funds were kept in the vault of the Rolls tone
Bank, but the money used daily was kept in a safe in the
vault of the town clerk. Mr. Joseph A. Tufts, then clerk
in the bank, slept in the town clerk's office which was
the room on the northeast corner, now the private office
of the city clerk. Next came the room fitted up for the
Fitchburg Athenaeum, which, later, became the Fitchburg
Public Library. This took up the room to the passage-
way in the rear, extending through the building and
dividing it from the lower town hall, which extended
across the building. On the other side of the town house
the first room was the one now occupied by the city au-
ditor, then by Deputy-Sheriff A. P. Kimball. Next toward
the rear was the room occupied by the selectmen, assess-
ors and overseers of the poor, and next, the room occupied
by the post-office from May, 1854, till its removal in 1872.
The rent paid by the post-office for the year ending March,
1856, was $100. The corner basement, afterwards used
as a police station, was then used as a meat and provis-
ion store.
The lower town hall was finished in anticipation of
its need for county purposes ; and when, in 1856, Fitch-
burg was made a half-shire town the sessions of the Supe-
rior Court were held here. I remember attending some of
the trials held there. Especially I recollect the case of
Bowker vs. Lee. The parties were from Templeton, and
it seemed as if nearly all the inhabitants of that town
were here as witnesses. It was a case of slander. On one
side the counsel were, I think, Hoar and Dewey, and on
the other Rice and Yerry — all of Worcester. I remember
Mr. Hoar as pacing back and forth most of the time with
his hands in his pockets and ejaculating "I object" to
most of the questions asked by the opposing counsel. I
do not now remember the judge.
In 1863 the Episcopal church was organized and held
its services in the lower town hall, with Rev. Henry L.
Jones as pastor. This was their place of worship for five
years, until their church was completed.
'
274 Early History of the City Hall.
In the year 1861 or 1862 the building had a narrow
eseape from destruction by hre. It was on a Monday
morning when the lire caught from an overheated furnace.
There were two furnaces in the cellar, one near the center
and one (from which the lire caught) nearly under the
room occupied by the post-office. The hre worked its way
through the floor and into the post-office boxes, destroy-
ing the two lower tiers. The charred and blackened wood-
work underneath the floor can be seen to-day from the
cellar.
The Court House was built in 1870, and the lower
town hall was no longer used for county purposes, and
in 1872 the post-office was removed to the building cor-
ner of Main and Church streets (formerly the Trinitarian
church). The new City Government was inaugurated in
1873, and rooms for the aldermen and common council
were made by taking the former post-office and a portion
of the lower town hall.
In 1879 an addition was made to the building in the
rear, to which the library was removed. The school com-
mittee were given the present board of health room, the
assessors the next room, and the water registrar the
next. While this addition was being made the severe gale
of July 16 struck the building in the rear, where the wall
had been removed, and raised a portion of the roof and
timbers. Tin roof, boards and timbers were hurled through
the air, causing considerable damage to the building. The
enlarged building and hall were dedicated by appropriate
exercises October 20, 1879.
The old passageway between the post-office and library
and the lower town hall ran nearly where the present
partition is between the rooms of the aldermen and com-
mon council. There are two windows — one in the room
of the board of aldermen and the other in the room of
the board of health, which indicate where were the two
doors opening outside from the rear passageway before the
enlargement. They are a little narrower than the other
windows.
The more recent history of the City Hall is so well
known to you all that it need not be called to your re-
membrance. For more than half a century it has been
Early History of the City Hall. 275
the center of the municipal and much of the social life of
Fitchburg. Its walls have echoed to the voices of great
and illustrious men. Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry
Ward Beecher, John G. Saxe, Anson Burlingame, and many
others have stood upon its platform and moved and
stirred the inhabitants of Fitchburg with words of wis-
dom, wit and eloquence. Here, during the War of the
Rebellion, before the assembled and sorrowing people were
held the public obsequies of some of our honored dead,
whose bodies were brought back to us from southern
battle-fields; and to those who have lived here for many
years and attended the old town meetings, the building
recalls the features and the voices of many who have long
since left the scene of their endeavors and successes :
Nathaniel Wood, Alvah Crocker, Jesse Spanlding, I vers
Phillips; George E. Towne, and many another who took
part in those interesting and important assemblages of
the people which are now gone and past into history.
•
INDEX.
Adams, Abel F., 51.
Mrs. Abel F., 50.
Abraham, 17(5.
Henry B., 7, 8, 13G.
John, 128.
Joseph, 176.
L. B & A. J., 255.
Mary, 176.
Nehemiah, 28.
Robert, 176.
Samuel, 127, 128-130.
Thomas, 136.
Zabdiel, 23.
Albro, John A., 4-4.
Allen, Abijah, 219.
Benjamin, 219.
Mary, 215.
Phineas, 219.
Alvord, Caleb, 160.
Andrews, John, 76.
Angier, John, 81 .
Samuel, 81.
Atherton, Israel, 239, 241.
I'hebe, 208.
Atkinson, Edward, 247.
Bacon, William, 146
Babeoek, Lvdia, 179.
Bailey, Ebeiiezer, 7-9, 12-16, 18, 35,
263.
E. Foster, 10, 11, 13, 52, 65,247,
248.
Airs. E. Foster, 50, 52, 65.
Goldsmith P., 51, 76, 247.
Harrison, 12, 13, 105.
Isaac, 199.
Joseph, 177. •
"Molly, 199.
Stephen, 176.
Baldwin, Mrs. foseph, 50.
Ball, Elisha, 160.
Bancroft, Clark, 177.
Jane, 93.
John, 177.
Joshua, 177.
Kendall, 177.
Mary, 227.
Ruth, 231.
Timothy, 177, 189.
Baptists, 24, 84, 97, 102.
Barrett, Charles, 256.
Elizabeth, 187.
George II., 145.
John, 160.
Bartlett, Alpheus, 151.
Barton, Anna, 190.
Titus T., 31, 36, 40.
Bascom, Ezekiel, 160.
William, 32, 41, 142.
Batchelder, C. A., 11.
Jonathan, 219.
Timothy, 219.
Wesley W., 15.
Battles, Hannah, 91.
Bean, William, 177.
Beeeher, Henry W., 49, 275.
Lyman, 49.
Bemis, Esther, 211.
Joseph, 211.
Merey, 187.
Zaccheus, 187.
Benjamin, Caroline, 68.
Bennett, Abigail, 189, 190.
Abraham, 219.
Bathsheba, 190.
Bigelow, Roger, 177.
Solomon, 211.
Timothy, 180.
Uriah, 178.
Billings, Mrs. C. J., 53.
Lois, 192.
Bingham, Judith, 185.
Birch, E., 246, 247.
Bird, Ann. 97, 230.
Bishop, Henry W., 270.
Black, Horace, 255.
Blodgett, Mary, 185.
Blood, Thomas S., 76, 268.
Bodge, George M., 8
Boutelle, David, 51, 66, 220.
James, 178,
James, Jr., 220.
Thomas, R., 220.
Boutell, Kendall, 39, 130, 132,178.
Boutwell, George S., 73.
Bowers, Elizabeth, 192, 205.
Boy den, Eunice, 218.
fosiah, 218.
Boylston, Zabdiel, 236.
Boynton, Daniel, 103.
Elizabeth, 224.
Jane, 103.
Jonathan, 147, 178.
Bridge, Ebenezer, 130, 132, 172-232,
234.
John, 179.
Brigham, Benjamin, 114.
Bright, Anna, 190.
\m
Index.
Bright, Mary, 191.
Brooks, Abner, 268.
Hannah, 230.
lames, 263.
John, 230.
Maria L., 263.
Mary R., 263.
Melvin, 263.
Samuel, 255.
Stephen, 165.
Thomas, 262, 263.
Brown, Albert C ., 4-3.
Charles II., 102.
Daniel, 190, 191.
Hbenezer, 222.
Hannah, 190.
Jacob, 220.
Jemima, 103.
John, 116.
Joshua, 179.
[osiah, 115, 119.
Martha, 96.
Mary, 191.
Pearson, 220.
Phineas, 179, 210.
Rosa H., 10.
Susannah, 222.
Thomas, 116.
William, 139.
William, Jr., 140.
William 0., 51.
Bruce, Rebecca, 99.
Buffam, James, 250.
Iliillnrfl, Hlii'iivxvr W , 15, 10, 7 1
ItuHuck, Lulmil, 250.
Burbank, Daniel, 221.
Leonard, 140, 149.
Samuel, 220.
Sullivan, 221.
Burge, Hannah, 89.
Burhance, John, 179.
Bitmap, lid ward, 221.
Edward, Jr., 149.
Jacob, 147.'
Samuel, 86.
Sarah, 101.
Burnell, Edward P., 142.
Burns, George J., 17.
Burpee, Hepsibah, 102, 213.
Joseph, 199.
Rebecca, 199.
Burrage, Joanna, 101.
Burt, James, 174.
Buss, Aaron, 92.
Daniel, 93.
David, 93.
Eunice, 93.
John, 87, 92.
John, Jr., 87, 92, 93, 179.
Jonathan, 93.
Mary, 93.
Buss, Millicent, 93.
Pamelia, 93.
Sally, 92.
Silas, 92, 93.
Stephen, 92.
Xephaniah, 92, 93.
Butler, John, 142.
Prudence, 193.
Butterfield, Azariah, 198.
Caldwell, Adam, 180.
Lvdia, 225.
& Ellis, 255.
& Sprague, 262.
Calvin, fohn, 37, 38.
Calvinists, 23, 25, 40.
Capen, Christopher, 180.
Carleton, Ira, 68.
William, 06, 149, 268.
Carlton, Abraham, 180.
fohn, 221.
Mary, 229.
Solomon, 221 .
Carter, Abgiail, 240.
Abijah, ISO.
Caezar, 180, 181.
Damaris, 220.
Elijah, 135, 175.
Elisha, 14-8.
lames G., 244.
Joseph, 148, 149.
'[osiah, 180.
Nathaniel, 178.
Prudence, |90.
Thomas, I i)i».
William, 1 11).
Caswell, John, 221.
Samuel. 221.
Chamberlain, Elisha, 222.
Moses, 222.
Channing, William E., 244.
Chapin, George W., 148.
Church bell, gift of, 54.
C. C, 35-57.
Chapin, Oliver, 160, 162, 163.
Chase, Metapher, 163.
Clapp, Elisha, 30.
11., Jr., 250.
Clark, Margaret, 89
Mary, 180.
Clay, Henry, 157.
Coburn, Abner, 94.
Coggshall, Henry E.
Col burn, Clarence W
Cold Water Cup, 72.
Cole, Webster, 149.
Coleman, Thaddeus, 164.
Conant, Daniel, 219.
Esther, 219.
Hepsibah, 219.
Mary, 187, 188.
103.
, 43.
14.
Index.
179
11
234.
, 14-8,
181
Converse, Clarence M., 4-3.
Rebecca, 190.
Coolidge, Marcus A.
Cooper, Rhoda, 204.
Corey, Rebecca, 185.
Corneille. Peter, 99.
Rebecca, 99.
Cotton, John, 20.
Cowdin, Experience,
James, 139, 147,
Joseph, 149, 150.
Natt, 149.
Philip P., 140, 148, 149, 240.
Thomas. 81, 86, 129, 132, 181
201, 234, 241, 260.
Thomas, Jr., 181, 240, 241.
Cox, William, 103.
Craig, Hannah, 181.
Craige, Janet, 181.
Cragin, Charles II., 68
Crocker, Alvah, 17, 50,
265, 267, 275.
Crocker, Burbank & Co.,
Cross, Daniel, 142.
Crosby, Samuel, 238.
Cuinmings, Charles, 76.
Hiram, 72, 73.
John, 115.
Jonathan, 182.
Samuel. IS2-
51, 250, 264,
168.
Dean, Sarah, 226.
Demarv, John, 99.
Thomas, 98, 99.
Denny, Samuel, 181.
Derby, Aaron, 222.
Aaron, Jr., 149.
Amos, 180, 183, 222.
Pbenezer, 183.
Eunice, 230.
Rebecca, 228.
Samuel, 222.
William, 149
Dickinson, Elijah M., 51.
Mary Lowe, 8.
Sarah, 184.
Dickenson, Thomas W., 160.
Dix, Elijah, 238.
Dodge, Elizabeth, 219.
Eunice, 187.
Margaret, 100.
Nathaniel E., 142.
Noah, 100.
Seth, 187.
Thankful, 100.
Dole, Abram S., 46.
John, 222.
Samuel M., 52.
Stephen, 40, 222.
Thomas R. B., 40.
Porman. Ruth,
'10.
William, Jr., to
Currier, Pestus C, 7, 11, it
Frederick A., 6, 14, 154
Cushing, J. & Co., 262.
Job, 178.
John, 155.
Milton L., 14.
Daby, Amos, 149.
Damon, Abigail, 232.
Mary, 211.
Dana, Richard H , Jr., 272.
Danforth, Benj., Jr., 146
Isaac, 91 .
James, 91, 182.
Nicholas, 91, 100, 182.
Samuel, 91, 182
Sarah, 103, 219.
Daniels, Anna, 199.
Yerin, 148.
Davis, Alonzo P., 145.
Deliverance, 173.
Edward, 238.
Elnathan, 76, 257.
Ephraim, 148.
Lydia, 213, 217.
Sarah, 188.
Davison, Abigail, 230.
Day, Solomon, 197.
270
low
San
Will
11
p.. \\ v, Mi";
ml, 117, 18a
iam, 47, 48,
7, 183, 234.
\sa
89. 103. 104
144.
Draft, War of 1812,
Dunster, Henry, 28.
Durant, Amos, 49, 50, 66, 141.
Edward, 140.
Duffy, Timothy, 261.
Dunsmoor, William, 238.
Dutton, Mary, 90.
Samuel, 90.
Silas, 90.
Thomas, 89, 103.
Timothy, 100.
Eames, Sarah, 89.
Eaton, Abel, 142, 147.
Aaron, 247.
Aaron, Jr., 148.
Daniel S., 52.
Eunice, 220.
loe, 144.
Joel, 150.
Thomas, 46-48, 52.
William, 40.
Edwards, Jonathan, 22, 24, 25.
Ela, Abigail, 218.
280
Index.
Elleck, William C, 72, 245, 249.
Ellsworth, Edward, 184.
Thomas, 184.
Emerson, Alfred, 29, 35, 60.
Joseph, 60.
Ralph W., 275.
Emery, Joshua, 45.
England, Sarah, 182.
Enrolled Militia, 143.
Estabrook, Benjamin, 169.
John, 173.
Estey, Oliver, 160.
Euers, Henry, 177.
Susannah, 177.
Eveleth, Ellen, 50.
Everett, Joshua T., 271.
Fairbanks, Charles L., 232.
Jacob H , 51.
Josiah, 240.
Lydia, 229.
Thomas, 147.
Farley, Hannah, 91, 100, 182, 225.
Farnsworth, Charles, 151.
Phineas, 189.
Farrar, Margaret, 231.
Mary, 122, 229.
Ward B., 76, 270.
Farrington, Edward, 96.
Martha, 96, 97, 205.
Mary, 181, 230.
Farwell, Abraham, 102, 184.
Asa, 68, 147.
Anna, 211.
Daniel, 211, 223.
Elizabeth, 188, 189.
Henry, 76.
James, 148, 149.
John, 140, 184.
John A., 50.
John T., 50.
Joseph, 140, 148, 149, 184.
Levi, 184.
Maria, 50.
Mary, 223.
Moses, 148.
Samuel, 102, 184, 189.
Zaccheus, 222.
Fay, Lucy, 7.
Felt, Elijah, 42.
Fessenden, Levi G., 76.
Fifth Mass. Turnpike, 160.
First Meeting-house, 81.
Fisher, Jabez, 11, 94.
Fisk, Sarah, 203.
Fiske, Abijah, 223.
Amos, 223.
Anna, 230.
Fitch, Bush, 149.
John, 80, 87, 100, 102.
Fitch, Joseph, 89, 103.
Fitch, Margaret, 103, 183.
Marv, 101.
Paul, 91, 100, 101.
Sarah, 89.
Thomas, 12.
Zachariah, 230.
Fitchburg Families, 87-104.
Records, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 15.
Flagg, Dorothy, 219.
Mary, 209, 2L>4.
William, 87.
Fletcher, Abigail, 98.
Elizabeth, 103.
Hannah, 182.
John, 103.
Jonathan, 180, 185, 226.
& Newhall, 255.
Robert, 182.
William, 185.
Flint, Amos, 201.
Benjamin, 223.
Benjamin, Jr., 141 .
Edmund, 232.
Gertrude, 201.
Jonathan, 150, 223, 232.
Sylvester P., 140.
Thomas, 223.
Forristall, Mary, 191.
Fosdick, Charles, 9.
Foss, Molly, 205.
Foster, Abigail, 219.
Abijah, 103.
Alfred D., 234.
Calvin, 142.
Elizabeth, 103.
Samuel, 103.
Theodore S., 203.
Founders, C. C. Church, 39.
Fowler, Mary, 94.
Fox, Abel, 53, 142.
Esther, 192, 207.
John, 185.
John, Jr., 139.
Joseph, 32, 54, 86, 129. 132, 134,
135, 147, 185.
Joseph, Jr., 140.
Margery, 199.
Oliver, 139, 148.
Tabitha, 177.
Thomas, 192.
Francis, Henry M. 43.
Freethe, Jemima, 89, 211.
French, Jesse, 99.
Stephen, 169.
Frink, John, 223
Friar, H. C. & Co., 257, 264.
Frost, Benjamin, 186.
E. H., 50.
Sarah, 212.
Fullam, Francis, 186, 187, 194.
Hannah, 195.
Index.
281
Fullam, Jacob, 18G.
Lucy, 194.
Oliver, 187.
Fhineas. ISO, 241.
Timothy, 186.
Fuller, Azariah, 180, 187.
John, 173, 174.
Joseph, 187.
Nehemiah, 115, 1+7, 187, 188.
Simeon, 50.
Stephen, 187.
Thankful, 204.
W., 2 4-8.
Gage, Moses M., 267.
Gale, Eunice,
Garfield, Benjamin, 188.
Elijah, 188.
Ellerv I., 9.
James F. D., 5, 7, 9, 12-16, 80,
113, 172.
Lyman, 149.
Samuel, 117, 188.
Solomon, 76.
Theresa N., 15.
Garrison, William L., 72, 73.
Gary, Benjamin, 1S8, 189.
Elizabeth, 177.
Thomas, 188.
Gatcomb, Francis, 283.
Mary, 233.
Gates, Elizabeth, 189.
Jonathan, 173.
Susannah, 100.
Gerry, Joseph, 247.
Gibbs. Elijah, 98.
Jeduthan M., 71.
Gibson, Abraham, 101, 175, 191.
192, 207.
Betsey, 191.
Bezaleel, 192.
Charles Dana, 192.
David, 190.
Ephraim, 101, 102.
Isaac, 115, 130, 132, 135, 189,
190.
John, 189.
Jonathan. 190, 191.
Lucy, 192.
Mary, 192.
Mercv, 212.
Nathaniel, 189.
Rebecca, 192, 207.
Reuben, 115, 130, 132, 190-19.2.
Reuben, Jr., 191.
Samuel, 25.
Simeon, 149.
Sarah, 216.
Solomon, 190.
Stephen, 102, 212.
Stilhnan, 102.
Gibson, Thomas. 191.
Timothy, 115, 189.
William Hamilton, 192.
Giles. Nehemiah, 141.
Gill, Moses, 238.
Gilmore, Nathaniel, 246.
Gilson, Eleazer, 228.
Eunice, 19(5.
Jonas, 192.
Joseph, 192.
Lydia, 223.
Goodale, Andrew, 193.
Benjamin, 99.
David, 192, 193, 194.
Hannah, 99.
Judith, 198, 194
Lhineas, 99
Goodell, David IL. 193.
Phineas, 87, 99.
Goodnow, Dinah, 227.
Sarah, 220.
Goodrich, George E., 146.
Henry A., 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13,
15-17, 116.
Joshua. 140, 149.
Goodridge, Abijali, 223.
Asaph, 139, 146, 193.
David, 182, 133, 135, 184, 193,
201, 217.
Eunice, 184.
Ezekiel, 193.
Hannah, 192.
John, 139, 147, 193.
Joshua, 149, 224.
Mehitable, 211.
Philip, 211.
Rebecca, 193.
Goodwin, William IL, 270.
Goss, Sarah, 102, 212.
Thomas, 23.
; Gould, Jacob, 100.
Sarah, 100.
' Graves, Hepsibah, 226.
Lydia, 184, 215.
Mary, 201.
Gray, Abigail, 231.
Harrison, 133.
Sarah, 195.
Timothy, 147.
Greeley, Horace, 242.
Green, Asher, 262, 263.
Lucy, 224.
Mary Caroline, 8.
Greenough, Mary, 233.
Grey, Experience, 181, 224.
Griggs, Luther, 150.
Grout, Asa, 89.
Elihu, 89.
Hilkiah, 89.
John, 89.
Hager, Abraham, 193.
282
Index.
Hager, William, 194.
Hale, Calvin, 163.
Elizabeth, 17G, 212.
Henrv, 224-.
John,' 224-.
Mary, 22S.
Moses, 224-.
Samuel, 141, 149-151, 229.
Samuel W., 224.
William Thomas, 50.
Half-way Covenant, 22, 29.
Hall, Catherine, 202.
John, 202.
Seth B , 71, 72
Hamlin, Betty, 205.
Hannibal, 205.
Hammond, Abigail, 194.
Susannah. 186, 187, 194.
Hancock, John, 122, 123.
Harper, Joseph, 103.
Harriman. John, 98, 116, 117.
Harrington, Abigail, 100, 188.
Ebenezer, 88," 100, 194.
Richard, 88, 100, 19 4.
Thaddeus, 100.
Timothy, 23.
Harris, "Daniel, 193, 194.
Edwin A., 43.
John M., 43.
Nathan, 194.
Nathaniel, 195.
Samuel, 194.
Thomas, 148, 194, 195.
Hartwell, Abijah, 195.
Asahel, 195.
Benjamin, 224.
E. Adams, 6.
Edward, 93, 127, 195.
Edward, Jr., 195, 196.
Elizabeth, 208.
Ephraim, 141, 195.
Josiah, 224.
Phineas, 130, 135, 175, 191, 195,
19(5.
Relief, 191, 192.
Sarah, 227.
Solomon, 196.
Thomas, 139, 196.
Harwood, Kilburn, 92.
Haseltine, Amos, 196.
William, 196.
Haskell, Elias, 12.
Hannah, 203.
Henry, 1 73.
Joseph, 149.
Lemuel, 224.
Mary, 216.
Mercy, 224.
Batty, 193.
Samuel, 224.
William, 224.
Hastings, Sarah, 182.
Hawes, Peter, ISO, 196.
Haven, Ann, 230.
I lay ward, Horace, 246.
Keziah, 190.
Lucy A., 9.
Hawkins, John II. W., 71.
Hazcltine, Dorothy, 200, 201.
Hazen, Hannah, 210.
Henshaw, Daniel. 238.
Derrick, Benjamin, 97.
Herring, Hannah, 90.
Ilewett, George, 102.
Hews, Peter, 196
Hidden, Lucy, 184.
Dill, Elizabeth, 225.
John, 197.
Mary, 89.
Robert, 197.
Thomas, 197.
Hildrak, Zachariah, 197.
Hildreth, Zachariah, 197.
Hillman, Charlotte, 170.
Hinds, Abigail, 113, 229.
W. II. 11., 76.
Hitchcock, Alfred, 51.
George A., 6, 14, 17, 35, 43.
George P., 9.
Hoar, Sarah, 185.
Stephen, 163.
Dodgkins, Aaron, 197.
Hezekiah, 198
Mary, 178.
Samuel, 1 15, 1 16.
Trvphena, 102.
William, 103.
Holden, Eri, 142.
Holman, Nathaniel, Jr., 163.
Stephen, 76.
Holmes, Oliver W., 272, 275.
Holt, Elijah, 198.
Ilumphrev, 198.
James, 198.
Jonathan, 99, 116, 198, 199.
Jonathan, Jr., 198.
Susannah, 198, 199.
William, 199.
Home Charities, 44.
Hooker, Thomas, 27.
Dopkinsians, 30.
Dosley, Elizabeth, 91, 182.
Eunice, 232.
James, 173.
Hosiner, Hannah, 92.
Helen, 222.
Hough, Tabitha, 180.
Houghton, Aaron, 148.
Dorcas, 206.
Edward, 160.
Elizabeth, 182.
Frederick, 9.
Index.
283
Hovey, Abijah, 184, 215.
Dorcas, 215.
Mary, 93, 179, 183.
Sarah, 184
Howe, Joseph, 139.
Lucy, 199.
Hubbard, Eli A., 4-3.
J. Milton, 7.
Hudson, Darius, 227.
Dinah, 227.
Gardner K., 14.
Huit, George', 102
Sarah. 103.
Hunt. Elijah. 160.
Elisha. UO
Eunice 103
Jonathan, 19§.
Samuel, 81, 1 #1 , 199, 266.
Huntley, Sullivan VY., 253.
11 use, Margaret; 224.
Hutchins, Joshua, 114.
Hutchinson, Anne, 21.
Elizabeth, 193, 199.
Joseph, 193.
losiah, 22G.
Phebe, 220.
Samuel, 199.
Sarah, 221, 225.
Ide, Charles, 51.
Ireland, Abigail, 97.
Abraham, 95 97, 230.
Elizabeth, 95, 203.
Mary, 96, 230.
Jackson, Elisha, 173, 170.
Jameson, Elizabeth, 222.
jaquith, Abraham, 91, 100, 182,
Benjamin, 100.
Elizabeth, 91, 182.
Jacob, Jr., 141.
Marv, 100/
Rebecca, 200.
Jenkins, Rebecca, 230.
Jevvett, Anna, 227.
I vers, 144.
Jeremiah, 199.
"Mary, 184, 230.
Maximillian, 199.
Jones, Henry L., 273.
Johnson, Hannah, 207.
John, 197.
Keziah, 189.
Rebecca, 189.
Samuel, 189.
Walter, 42-44, 49, 50.
Jones, Ebenezer, 160.
John, 173.
josiah, 230.
Joslin, John, 173.
49. 151, 200.
264.
Kemp, James, 144, 150.
Joseph, 149.
Kendall, Benjamin, 221.
Eunice, 220
Ezra, 142.
F. A., 248.
Hannah, 200.
Jonas, 160, 167.
Mabel, 113.
Thomas, 221.
William, 200.
Kenney, Henry P., 51.
Keougli, John, 261.
KeyCs, John. 92.
Kiddzt, Fhx^eth, 197
Johathan 197
Kimball, A£»'gan. 206.
Amos, 200, 201.
Alpheus 44, 40,
231.
A. & Sons, 260,
A. P., 273.
Dorothy, 50.
Ebenezer, 200.
Ephraim, 86, 93, 94, 186,
207.
George, 50, 173.
Hannah, 199.
John, 147.
Levi, 200.
Lydia, 184.
Dorter, 200.
Rachel, ISO.
Samuel, 148.
Thomas, 201.
William, 148, 260.
Kingsbury, Nathaniel, 91.
Kinsman, Jeremiah, 17, 225.
Martha, 225.
Robert, 17.
Knceland, Elizabeth, 195, 196.
Lamb, Charles, 263.
Lambert, Alary, 197.
Lamson, Lucy, 186.
Lane, Willard, 25.
Earned, Ebenezer, 238.
Latham, James, 236-238.
Lawrence, Amos, 225.
Benjamin, 225.
Samuel, 225.
Laws, Hannah, 232.
lames, 232.
Thomas, 232.
Leavitt, Jonathan, 160.
Mary, 231.
Lee, Lucy-, 92.
Leland, John, 204.
Joshua, 179.
Keziah, 221.
Lydia, 204.
»00
284
Index.
Leland, Ruth, 227.
Leverett, Charles, 70.
Liberty Party, 72, 73.
Lillie, Ebenezer, 233.
Lincoln, Calvin, 54, 59, 62-64-, 74-,
14-2, 268, 277.
Lippinwell, Anne, 188.
Reuben, 188.
Litch, Charles. S., 68.
Manasseh, 115, 176.
Litchfield, Mrs. Sylvester, 53.
Littlefield. Arthur W.. 9.
Long, S. H., 50.
Lonnon, Edom, 201.
Lovejoy, Mary, 199.
Lowe, Daniel, 47, 48.
Joseph, 87, 247.
Susanna, 227.
Luther, Seth, 244.
Lynde, Joseph, 238.
Lyon, Elizabeth, 187.
lesse & Sons, 260, 264.
Maccarty, Mary, 233, 234.
Thaddeus, 233-241.
Mace, Eliphalet, 201.
Sarah, 201.
Mann, Calvin, 160.
Horace, 244
Manning, Elizabeth, 221.
Mansfield, Daniel, 101.
Lydia, 101.
Mansur, Joseph W., 263.
Mill, 264.
Marble, Mary, 89.
Marden, George A., 92.
Marsh, jerusha, 227.
Marshall', Benjamin, 139.
Chedorlaomer, 267, 268.
Jonas, 52, 54, 66.
Sarah, 206.
Simon, 149.
Martin, Elizabeth, 184, 193, 210.
Eunice, 224.
Hannah, 189.
John, 189, 210.
Mary, 210.
Martini, P. W., 16, 18.
Mason, Atherton P., 5, 7.
May Training, 137, 143.
Mavnard, Milly, 202.
Mayo, Caleb, 160.
Daniel, 141, 150, 151.
David, 160.
Mclntire, Daniel, 225, 226.
David, 201.
Eli as, 226
Elijah, 201.
Elizabeth, 220.
Elint, 201.
Jacob, 226.
Mclntire, John, 201, 225, 226.
Mary, 225, 226.
McKenzie, Alexander, 27, 50.
Mead, Abijah, 226.
David, 226.
Mellen, John, 24.
Melvin, Eunice, 207.
Hannah, 207.
John, 207.
Men-iam, Charles IL, 76.
Cvnthia, 227.
David H., 76.
& Holden, 270.
Jacob IL, 47, 48.
John, 226, 227.
N. A., 50.
Merrill, Abigail, 202.
Daniel, 202.
Moses, 202.
Miles, Lowell, 51.
Noah, 173.
Thomas, 231.
Miller, Alfred, 51.
Samuel, 149.
Mills, Samuel J., 36.
Minute-men organized, 133.
Moors, Elizabeth, 102, 184, 189.
Morrill, John, 202.
Morse, Jonas, 145.
Moulton, Joseph C, 17.
Mudge, John, 202.
Murphy, William, 202.
Needham, Benjamin, 200.
Hannah, 200.
Newcomb, Hannah, 99.
Henry K., 234.
Lydia, 234.
Richard E., 160.
Newell, Marv, 177.
Hiram, 160.
Newmarch, Johanna, 232.
Newton, Dolly, 194.
Hannah, 227.
Horace, 68.
Martin, 140, 149-151.
Simeon. 227.
Thankful, 194.
New Town House. 267.
Nichols, Desire, 193.
Elizabeth, 204.
Israel, 1SS, 193, 238.
Jane, 188.
Lucy, 188.
Norcross, Amasa, 51, 76.
Noyes, Thomas, 29.
Nutten, Hannah, 197.
Nutting, John, 202.
Lydia, 177.
Index.
285
Oakman, Eliza, 68.
Thomas, 68.
Old Militia Companies, 136.
Town Hall, 65-79.
Turnpike, 154-171.
Oliver, Andrew, 12.
On thank, Elmer A., 8.
Ordway, Alfred R., 76, 24-7.
Nathan, 43, 14-0.
Osborn, Ephraim, 95, 115, 116, 147,
150, 203.
Ephraim, Jr , 149, 150, 203.
Osgood, Samuel, 272.
Paddleford, John, 238.
Page, A. G., 264.
David, 155.
Joel, 144.
Jonathan, 203.
Joseph, 203.
& Miles, 253.
Submit, 216.
Palmer, Margaret,
Palmer, Joseph W.,
Thomas, 51, 204,
Park, Jane, 204.
John, 204.
Parker, Dorothy, 90.
Euniee, 218.
Lydia, 177.
Parkhurst, Catherine,
Parmenter, Lucy, 198.
Parsons, Silas, 142.
Partridge, Charles, 43.
Rachel, 233.
Sarah, 222.
Patch, Bethia, 224.
Patterson, James, 204.
Joseph, 204.
Pay son, John, 29, 80-86, 97, 234.
Phillips, 82, 86.
Samuel, 82, 86.
Seth, 86.
Pease, Levi, 159.
Peirce, David, 205.
Elizabeth, 230.
Ephraim, 230.
Hannah, 215.
Joshua, 205.
Marv, 223.
Samuel, 115, 205.
Perkins, Anna, 83.
Elizabeth, 179, 210.
William, 83.
Perlev, Asa, 227.
Eliphalet, 227.
Perry, Amos, 204.
Asa, 204.
Ichabod, 227.
J. DeWolf, 11.
Samuel, 227.
204.
15.
268.
216.
Pettibone, Philo C, 247, 249-251
Phelps, Mary, 178'.
Samuel, 140.
Phillips, Blaney, 205, 227.
Eunice, 224.
Franklin, 260.
Ivers, 143, 257, 259, 264, 26
2(58-271, 275.
Joshua, 149.
Marv, 222.
Olive, 229.
Seth, 205.
Wendell, 75, 250, 275.
Piekanl, Joanna, 199.
Pierce, Abigail, 178.
Amos, 205.
David, 192.
Ebenezer, 101.
Elizabeth, 97.
Ephraim, 97.
Esther, 192.
James, 68.
Joanna, 101.
Joseph, 1(52.
Lucy, 194, 195.
Mary, 191, 195, 196.
Samuel, 195.
Pillsbury, Levi, 51.
Pin<4iey, Stephen, 222, 227.
Platts, Elizabeth, 206.
Hannah, 221.
Nathan, 206.
Thomas, 206.
Polley, Betsey, 196.
Dorcas, 196.
Ebenezer, 206.
John, 206.
Joseph, 196, 200, 206, 207.
Joseph, jr., 207.
Poole, Judith, 178.
Mary, 226.
Ruth, 231.
Poore, Andrew, 150.
Porter, Anna, 227.
John, 227.
Priseilla, 223.
Pratt, David, 228.
Hepsibah, 228.
John, 228.
John Derby, 228.
Levi, 149, 150, 260.
Silas, 207.
Solomon, 247.
Stephen A., 141.
Prentiss, John, 163.
Prescott, John, 210.
Mary, 210.
Prichard & Hartwell, 260, 261.
John, 267.
Priest, Benjamin, 207.
John, 192, 207.
286
Index.
Proctor, Augustus, 147.
Hosea, 141, 246-248.
Joseph, 166.
Josiah, 160.
Lydia, 232.
Puffer, Jabez, 102.
Jacob, 94.
Rebecca, 102.
Putnam, Apphia, 227.
Daniel, 39, 88, 139, 208.
George F., 148, 149.
George S., 140.
Isaiah, 49, 140.
J. Edward, 88, 208.
James P., 50, 268, 269, 272.
Mrs. James P., 50.
John, 208.
Lydia, 193, 194.
Samud, 140, 148, 149.
Pynchon, William, 20.
Rantoul, Robert, 244.
Rates of Toll, 160.
Reed, Abigail, 122.
Abijah, 208.
George, 113.
Hannah, 182, 203.
James, 95, 98, 113-121, 228.
James, Jr., 123.
Joseph, 113.
Mary, 220.
Peter, 208.
Sylvanus, 123.
Thomas, 113, 229.
William, 113, 182.
Rice, Joseph P., 145.
Martha, 95.
Merrick, 163.
Samuel, 163.
Sarah, 113.
William, 255.
Richardson, Damaris, 220.
Hannah, 193.
Joseph, 42.
Luke, 220.
Ripley, Jerome, 160.
Ritter, Anne, 205.
Ezra, 229.
Hannah, 229.
Moses, 229.
Roberts, Samuel, 262.
Robinson, Charles, 12, 18, 75, 76.
Sara T. L., 12, 18.
Rockwell, Edward M., 43.
Hannah, 113.
Henry F.. 16.
Rockwood, Ezra B., 51, 85.
George, 259./
Rollins, J. R., 76.
Rollstone boulder, 10.
Ross, Agnes, 94, 95.
Russell, Asa, 209.
Russell, Elizabeth, 178.
Isaac, 209.
Jane, 225.
Jason, 201.
Lucy, 201.
Nathaniel, 209.
Sackett, E., 248.
Safford, Roby, 50, 76.
Samson, Robert, 229.
Sanders, Benjamin, 209.
David, 209.
Moses, 209.
Sanderson, Moses, 209.
Sanger, Mary, 234.
Saunderson, Abraham, 100, 222.
Eunice, 222.
Margaret, 95.
Moses, 224.
Samuel, 100.
Sarah, 224.
Savage, Elizabeth, 221.
Sawtell. Charles, 51.
Sawyer, Abner, 179, 209.
Alvin M., 43.
Asa, 52.
Betty, 196.
Jabez, 229.
Manasseh, 177, 180, 229.
Mary, 210.
Nathaniel, 149.
Phineas, 210.
Phineas, Jr., 210.
Sanford, 250.
Sarah, 229.
Thomas, 201.
Schoffc, Jacob, 210.
John, 210.
Scisson, John, 250.
Scollay, Anne, 97.
Grover, 97.
Sarah, 97.
Scott, Abraham, 95.
Benjamin, 95, 115.
David, 98.
Edward, 98, 115.
Elizabeth, 98.
John, 98, 116.
Jonathan, 98.
Mary, 98.
William, 115.
Searle, C. H , 50.
Sears, E. H., 75.
Seaver, Abigail, 212.
Mary, 179.
Shedd, Abigail, 203.
Esther, 97, 230.
Sheldon, Amos, 49.
& Carter, 260, 264.
Flint, 142.
Francis, 260.
Nathaniel, 230.
Index.
287
Sheldon, Thomas C, 8.
Zachariah, 230.
Zachariah, Jr., 141.
Shepley, Charles, 70, 247.
Ether, 213
John, 213.
Stephen, 51, 213, 247.
Sherwin, Daniel, 173.
Levi, 260.
Silsby, David B., 43.
Mrs. David B., 40.
Simonds, Abel, 51, 210, 272.
John, 210.
Joseph, 210.
Small, Abigail, 208.
Rachel, 208.
William, 208, 210.
Smead, Solomon, 163.
Smith, Abigail, 224.
Elizabeth, 220.
Josiah, 81.
Judith, 81.
Lois, 190, 191.
Olive, 195.
Patience, 100, 122.
Sarah, 187.
Snow, Abigail, 209.
Adaline, 7.
Benjamin, 53, 59, 247, 270.
Benjamin, Jr., 46, 78.
Peter, 123, 142.
Peter, S., 123.
Silas, 211.
William, 211.
William Hall, 59.
Sounding board, 59.
Souther, Joseph, Jr., 149.
Spafford, Bradstreet, 115.
Edgar L., 8.
Spaulding, Jesse, 275.
Spofford, Hannah, 89.
John, 89.
Jonah, 89. .
Jonathan, 89, 211.
Joseph, 89, 211.
Judah, 89.
Mary, 89.
Sarah, 89.
Springer, Nancy, 94.
Stanley, Hannah, 213.
Stearns, Abijah, 175.
Anna, 101.
Charles, 101, 234. 257.
Ezra Scollay, 8, 10, 87, 172, 233.
Josiah, 174.
Justin, 268.
Lydia, 224.
Samuel, 101.
Sarah, 83.
Thomas, 101.
Timothy, 101.
Stevens, Abel, 272.
Stevens, Elizabeth, 211.
Jabez, 211.
Steward, Solomon, 95, 130.
William, 116.
Stewart, Benjamin, 96.
Betty, 209.
Daniel, 88, 96, 230.
Deborah, 88.
Duncan, 96.
George S., 95.
Jacob, 96, 100, 230.
James, 96, 149.
Mary, 96, 205.
Phineas, 96, 97.
Solomon, 95-97, 205, 209, 230.
William, 95-97.
Stickney, Joshua, 147.
Oliver,' 211.
Stephen, 211.
Stiles, Hannah, 212.
Jacob, 212.
James F., 76.
Jeremiah, 234.
John W., 239.
Levi, 214.
Mary Maccarty, 234.
Susannah, 214.
Walter F., 8.
William, 234.
Stimson, Jonathan, 201.
Stoddard, Charles, 255.
Stone, Abigail, 182.
Ephraim, 169.
Harriet, 231.
John, 163.
Josiah, 200.
Luther, 230.
Mind well, 183.
Nathan, 165.
Oliver, 25.
Samuel, 173.
W. F., 76, 77.
Stratton, Rufus, 162.
Sumner, Charles, 73, 275.
Samuel J., 212.
Sweetser, Samuel, 160.
Swinerton, Ruth, 208.
I Tainter, E. C, 76.
I Tarbell, Elizabeth, 97.
Jonas, 98, 116.
j Tarbox, Eunice, 183.
Taylor, Abel, 255.
Elizabeth, 209.
George, 212.
Rachel, 198.
Rebecca, 91, 96.
Samuel, 149.
Temperance Societies, 70, 72.
Thaxter, Joseph, 231.
Mary, 231.
Thwing, Lydia, 98.
288
Index.
Thompson, Elizabeth, 186.
Thurlow, Elizabeth, 176.
George, 176, 212.
William, 135, 174, 176, 212, 234
Thurston, Abel, 41-43, 47, 48, 74.
Asa, 41.
Cyrus, 50, 59, 272.
Ebenezer, 39.
John, 102. 149, 150, 184, 213.
John, Jr., 39.
Jonathan, 42, 43, 140.
Leander, 50.
Miriam, 216.
Priseilla, 102, 184.
Stephen, 213.
Thomas, 40.
Tidmarsh, William, 231.
Tolman, Nathan, 141.
Torre}', Ebenezer, 261.
Rufus C, 8.
Total Abstinence Society, 72.
Town, Abial J., 268.
Town Hall, old, 65, 66.
Towne, George E., 275.
William, B., 76.
Townsend, Joanna, 101.
Joseph, 66.
Tovvnslev, Calvin, 169.
Trask, Ruth, 50.
Tread way, Hannah, 102.
Trowbridge, John, 231.
Mary, 230.
Tufts, Caroline B , 13.
Joseph A., 273.
Turnpike roads, 154-171.
Tuttle, Mary, 185.
Underwood, Joseph, 226, 231.
Mary, 231.
Rebecca, 224.
Uphain, Elizabeth, 220.
Upton, Caleb, 214.
Calvin, 50.
Edwin, 50, 51, 145, 267, 268.
272.
Ezekiel, 232.
Jacob, 141, 223, 231.
John, 50, 51, 139, 147, 150, 151.
' Joseph, 50, 231.
Joseph, jr., 50, 141.
Mary, 50, 180.
Mehitable, 213.
Oliver, 213.
Rebecca, 223, 232.
Robert, 214.
Thomas, 50, 142.
Timothy F.. 151.
William, 213.
Wadsworth, Christian, 205, 227.
Waite, Mary, 202.
Walker, Abigail, 195.
Addison, A., 145.
James, 214.
Jemima, 200.
Joseph, 135.
Nathaniel, 87.
Obadiah, 217.
Phebe, 193.
Samuel, 101.
Sarah, 217.
Wallace, Rodney, 51, 115, 265.
William E., 51.
Wallis, Benoni, 115.
lane, 197.
Robert N., 115.
Walsh, Mike, 250.
Walton, Samuel, 248, 250.
Ware, Charles E., 5.
David, 262.
Henry, 26.
Samuel, 163.
War of 1812, 143.
Wares, Dorothy, 90.
Ephraim, 90.
Jonathan, 90, 91, 100.
Lydia, 91.
Marv, 90.
Moses, 91.
Robert, 90.
Robert, Jr., 90.
Sarah, 91.
Warner, Nancy, 181.
Warren, Elizabeth, 211.
Levi, 150.
Mary, 194.
Micaiah, 150, 151, 152
Wasson, John, 214.
Wellman, James R., 51.
Wells, Daniel, 160.
Wentworth, Eunice, 183
Moses, 184.
Phebe, 198.
Wesson, John, 214.
West, John, 180, 214.
Weston, Samuel, 94.
Wetherbee, Alfred, 51.
Jonathan, 215.
Alary, 94, 186, 200, 207.
Paul", 215.
Sarah, 255.
Wheeler, Aaron, 140.
Benjamin, 141, 150-152, 222.
Hepsibah, 222.
Lu
CV, \L\iJL.
Voice of Industry, 251 .
Vose, Solomon, 160.
William II., 51, 260,
261.
Alary, 101, 192.
Samuel A. 44, 270.
Wheelock, Anna, 214.
Whiteomb, Abigail, 93.
John, 179.
Jonathan, 149, 150.
hid ex.
289
White, Alfred, 258, 264.
Rettv, 93.
Elizabeth, 200.
John, 93, 94, 177, 200.
Jonathan, 115.
Jonathan, jr., 115.
Josiah, Jr.," 93.
Lydia, 93, 195.
Mary, 94, 210.
Salmon, 94.
William, 116.
Whiteheld, George, 22.
Whitman, Ephraim, 51. •
Zachariah, 163.
Whitney, Agnes, 95.
Amos, 255.
Whitney, Andrew, 50.
& liogart, 258, 264.
David, 255.
Elizabeth, 93.
Ephraim, 93.
Ezra, 94, 95.
James, 95.
John, 94.
Mary, 93, 98, 200, 223, 225,
Milton, 76-78, 247, 248.
Moses, 93, 95.
Peter, 81.
Phineas, 163, 188.
Rebecca, 94, 95.
Samuel, 98.
William, 223.
Whittemore, Ebenezer, 13.
Sybil, 218.
Wilcox, G. Buckingham, 49.
Wilder, David, 173, 224.
Gardner, 178.
Joseph, 92.
Josiah, 238.
Jotham, 215.
J. P., 255.
Marv, 178.
Phebe, 215.
Samuel, 240.
Titus, 215.
William S., 245, 247.
Wilkins, Daniel, 246, 247.
E. K., 245, 246.
Willard, Abraham, 215, 216.
Amory, 216.
Anne, 98.
Charles, 87, 97.
Esther, 203.
Isaac, 216.
John, 98.
Joseph, 97, 98.
Josiah, 98.
Lemuel, 203.
Levi, 216, 238.
Reuben, 216.
Samuel, 233.
Sarah, 190.
Willard, Sybil, 224.
Thomas, 216.
Williams, James, 180, 216.
Willis, Henry A., 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13,
15, 16', 87, 91, 93-99.
Samuel, 227.
Winchester, C. & G. C, 255.
Wiswall, Hannah. 187.
Margaret, 204.
Noah, 201.
Witt, Artemas, 88.
Isaiah, 88, 100, 194.
Levi, 88.
Martha, 88, 100, 194.
James, 88.
Persis, 88.
Wood, David, 93, 179, 183, 216.
Elizabeth, 178, 199.
Esther, 213.
Eunice, 92.
George, 149, 217, 258.
Goodwin, 76.
lames, 217.
John, 92, 217.
Jonathan, 179, 213, 216, 217,
234.
Jonathan, Jr., 27.
Joshua, 173.
Martha, 183.
Mary, 93, 179.
Mehitable, 179.
Moses, 51.
Nathaniel, 69, 77, 247. 267-269,
275.
Rachel, 216, 217.
Salmon, 217.
Solomon, 217.
Thomas, 216.
Woods, Alice, 218.
Ebenezer, 130, 132, 133, 172,
174, 218.
Henry, 218.
John, 218, 253.
Joseph, 218.
Nathaniel, 218.
Woodward, Frederick F., 5, 7, 9,
10, 12, 15-17, 260.
Woolson, William, 238.
Worcester, Samuel, 29-31, 35, 36.
Works, Daniel, 141.
Wright, Elizabeth, 203.
Rachel, 89.
Sylvester, 51.
Wyman, Abigail, 101.
Ezekiel, 101.
Lucy, 101.
William, 192.
Young, Joseph, 168, 169.
W. P., 245-248, 251, 252.
William. 238,
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